The ancient stone crosses of Dartmoor and its borderland

THE
ANCIENT STONE CROSSES

OF

DARTMOOR AND ITS BORDERLAND.

Special edition 'with additional plates limited
to 230 copies.

Nun's Cross.

THE

Undent Stone Crosses of
Dartmoor

and its Borderland

BY

WILLIAM CROSSING

AUTHOR OF

4 " Amid Devonians Alps," " Tales of the Dartmoor Pixies,'
"A Hundred Years on Dartmoor," etc.

REVISED EDITION

Illustrated by T. A. Falcon, M,A.

In many a green and solemn place,

Girt with the wild hills round,
The shadow of the Holy Cross,
Yet sleepeth on the ground.

RICHARD JOHN KING,

The Forest of tlte Dartmoors.

Exeter
JAMES G. COMMIN

1902

\\

3 1963 I

orjH*^

H 7 11605

CONTENTS.

Preface ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ix

CHAPTER I.

AN OLD WORLD REGION AND ONE OF ITS ANTIQUITIES : Extent of
Dartmoor — The Border Towns — Wildness of the Moor — The
Forest Perambulations — A home of Ancient Customs — Border
Scenery — Antiquities — The Cross an Object of Veneration —
Purposes of the Stone Cross — Dartmoor Crosses Rude in
Appearance — Their Surroundings — The Border Crosses ... I

CHAPTER II.

THE BOUNDARY CROSSES OF BRENT MOOR : Brent Hill— Brent Fair
— Church of St. Patrick — Christopher Jellinger — Brent Market
Cross — Hobajon's Cross — Old Map of Dartmoor — Butterdon
Stone Row — Three Barrows — Western Whitaburrow — Petre's
Cross— Sir William Petre— Buckland Ford— The Abbots' Way
— Clapper Bridge — Huntingdon Cross — The Valley of the Avon 9

CHAPTER III.

BY THE SOUTHERN BORDER HEIGHTS : Ugborough Moor — Bagga's
Bush — Old Guide Post — Sandowl Cross — Hookmoor Cross —
Ugborough Church — Bishop Prideaux — Owley — Spurrell's Cross
— Harford — Broomhill to Ivybridge ... ... ... 22

CHAPTER IV.

FROM THE ERME TO THE PLYM : Ivybridge — The Erme— Church of
St. John — Inscribed Stone — Fardle — Blachford— Cornwood —
Hawns and Dendles — Cross at Cholwich Town — An Ancient
Farmhouse — Blackaton Cross — Cadaford Bridge ... ... 29

CHAPTER V.

THE VIA CRUCIS OF THE AUGUSTINE CANONS : Hemerdon Ball —
Plympton St. Maurice — Plympton Castle — The Priory — Church
of Plympton St. Mary — Cross by the Torry — Browney Cross —
Base of Cross at Beatland Corner — Shaugh Cross — Shaugh
Church — The White Thorn — The Dewerstone — Cross near
Shaden Brake — Cross near Cadaford Bridge — Lynch Down —
Marchant's Cross ... ... ... ... ... 40

vi Contents.

CHAPTER VI.

THK CROSSES OF MEAVY : The Meavy Oak — A Missing Village Cross
— Its Discovery and Restoration — Meavy Church — Cross in Wall
of Transept — Tomb of Lady Seccombe — Tomb of Walter
Mattacott — Gratton — Chapel of St. Matthew — Green well Down
— Greenwell Girt — Base of a Wayside Cross — Urgles — Wigford
Down— An Old Path. ... ... ... ... ... 52

CHAPTER VII.

CROSSES ox THE LANDS OF AMICIA, COUNTESS OF DEVON : Bickleigh
Vale — Maynstone Cross — Woolwell Cross — Bickleigh Cross —
The Church— Socket Stone — Copris Cross — Buckland Abbey —
Buckland Monachorum Cross — Shaft of Cross on Crapstone
Farm — Horrabridge — Smalacumbe Cross — Sheepstor Cross — A
Moorland Church — An Ancient Church House — The Pixies'
Cave— The Path of the Monks ... ... ... ... 57

CHAPTER VIII.

MEAVY TO SAMPFORD SPINEY : Yennadon — Socket Stone at Dousland
— Walkampton Church — An Old Church House — Socket-stone
— Huckworthy Bridge — Cross on Huck worthy Common —
Sampford Spiney Cross — Whitchurch Down ... ... 67

CHAPTER IX.

THE ABBOTS' WAY : An Ancient Track — Brock Hill Mire — Red Lake
Ford — Broad Rock — Plym Steps — Springs of the Plym —
Siward's Cross — Its Early Mention — Inscription on the Cross —
Bond mark of the Monks' Moor — Course of the Abbots' Way —
The Windypost — Moortown — Cross on Whitchurch Down —
Monkeys' Castle — A Broken Wayside Cross — Some Tavistock
Worthies ... ... ... ... ... ... 71

CHAPTER X

A GREEN PATH OF THE MOOR : Buckland to the South-east Border —
Crazy Well Pool — Piers Gaveston — A Broken Cross — Remains
of Cross by the Wayside— Stone Pillar— Fox Tor— Tomb of
Childe the Hunter — A Tradition of the Forest — A Despoiled
Monument — Discovery ,of a Kistvaen — Death of the Lord of
Plymstock — Fox Tor Newtake and its Crosses — Crosses of Ter
Hill — Stannaburrows — The Down Ridge Crosses — Horse Ford
— Horn's Cross — An Old Road— Queen Victoria's Cross at
Hexworthy — Holne Moor — Cross in Holne Churchyard — Birth-
place of Charles Kingsley — Cross at Hawson — Buckfast Abbey
— Base at Ashburton — Cross at Gulwell ... ... ... 84

CHAPTER XL

FROM THE TAVY TO THE TAW : Tavistock — Old Market Cross —
Hermitage of St. John — Inscribed Stones — A Period of Religious
Activity — Tavistock Abbey — Remains of Cross at Peter Tavy —

Contents. vii

Steven's Grave — Longtimber Tor — Mary Tavy Clam — Mary
Tavy Cross— Forstal Cross — Brent Tor — Lydford — Bra Tor —
Base at Sourton — Cross on Sourton Down — An Ancient
Inscription — Cross formerly at Okehampton — North Lew Cross
— Okehampton Park — Cross at Fitz's Well — Pixy-led Travellers
— Inscribed Stones at Belstone and Sticklepath ... ... 108

CHAPTER XII.

AT THE FOOT OF COSDON : Zeal Head Cross — Cross at South Zeal —
Story of John Stanbury — Moon's Cross — South Tawton —
Oxenham Cross — Tradition of the White Bird — Cross at Ring-
hole Copse — Cross at Addiscott — Firestone Ley — Cross at West
Week — An Ancient Border Farmhouse ... ... ... 126

CHAPTER XIII.

THROWLEIQH TO MORETONHAMPSTEAD : Fragments of Crosses at
Throwleigh — An Ancient Base — Restoration of the Cross —
Gidleigh — Murchington — Gidleigh Park and Leigh Bridge —
Cross at Holy Street — Base of Cross at Chagford — Cross at
Way Barton — Surroundings of Chagford — Cross near Cranbrook
— Stone Cross — Week Down — Shorter Cross ... ... 132

CHAPTER XIV.

FROM MORETONHAMPSTEAD TO THE WESTERN BORDER COMMONS :
An Old Road — Cross at Lynscott — Headless Cross — Ancient
Guiding Stones — Beetor Cross — A Traditionary Battle — Bennet's
Cross — Heath Stone — Newhouse — Story of the Grey Wethers —
Meripit Hill — Maggie Cross — Jonas Coaker — Cut Lane — The
Lich Path — Clapper Bridges — The Rundle Stone — Long Ash
Hill ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 140

CHAPTER XV.

CROSSES ON THE BOVEY RIVER : Horse Pit Cross — An Old-time
Village — North Bovey Cross — Cross at Hele — Tradition of a
Chapel by the Stream — Disappearance of the Manaton Cross —
Its Socket-stone — Cross at South Harton Gate — Cross Park —
The Bishop's Stone — Inscribed Stone at Lustleigh — Crosses iat
Bovey Tracey — Cross at Sanduck ... ... ... ... 152

CHAPTER XVI.

WIDECOMBE-IN-THE-MOOR AND THE CROSSES IN ITS NEIGHBOUR-
HOOD : Ilsington — Bag Tor Mill — Cross on Rippon Tor — Cross
in Buckland Churchyard — Wayside Cross at Buckland — Dun-
stone — Cross in Vicarage Garden at Widecombe — Base of Cross
on Widecombe Green — Cross in the Churchyard — Thunder
Storm of 1638 — Hameldon and its Barrows — Hameldon Cross
— The Coffin Stone — Dartmeet — Ouldsbroom Cross — Cross
Furzes — Dean Prior — Ancient Track to Plympton — Conclusion. 161

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.

1. Nun's or SiwarcFs Cross ... ... ... Frontispiece

2. Drizzlecombe Menhir ... ... ... ... 6

3. Blackaton Cross ... ... ... ... ... 38

4. * Cross at Plympton St. Maurice ... ... ... 40

5. Shaugh Cross ... ... ... ... ... 47

6. Marchanfs Cross ... ... ... ... ... 50

7. Cross on Huckworlhy Common ... ... ... 69

8. The Windy post or Beckamoor Cross ... ... 79

9. Cross on Whitchurch Down ... ... ... 81

10. Childes Tomb ... ... ... ... ... 89

1 1 . Cross in Fox Tor Neiatake ... ... ... 96

12. Cross near Skir Ford — Down Ridge ... ... 101

13. Cross near Horse Ford do. ... ... 101

14. Mary Tavy Cross ... ... ... ... ... 113

15. Cross on Sourton Down ... ... ... ... 119

1 6. Inscribed Stone Sticklepath ... ... ... 125

17. South Zeal Cross ... ... ... ... ... 126

1 8. Cross at Ringhole Copse, South Tawton ... 130

19. Week Down Cross... ... ... ... ... 138

20. *Lynscott Cross, Moretonhampstead ... ... 140

21. Bennefs Cross ... ... ... ... ... 145

* The illustrations with two exceptions, viz. " Cross at Plympton St.
Maurice," and " Lynscott Cross," which appeared in Devon Notes $ Queries,
are from photographs by Mr. T. A. Falcon, M.A., and were mostly taken
expressly for this work.

PREFACE.

IN my former notices of the Stone Crosses of the Dartmoor
country, those existing- on the moor, and those to be found
in the cultivated portions of the border parishes, were dealt
with in separate books. In the following pages these two
are combined, and much new matter, rendered necessary by
the altered state of some of the objects described, has been
added. This has required some re-casting, and renders the
present in great measure a new book.

Some of the remarks prefixed to my earlier description of
the Old Crosses of the Moorlands I venture to repeat here.
I stated that my explorations on Dartmoor had extended
over many years, and had enabled me to gather much of
interest pertaining to its history, its customs, and its objects of
antiquity. My researches in that region of tor and stream
I have never tired of pursuing, a love for its dear old hills,
extending back as far as memory will carry me, attracting
me to its wild solitudes, where, by the side of the stone
circle and the moss-covered cairn, we seem to stand on the
borderland between the present and the distant past.

How much of poetry is there in the memorials of a
people who lived on these hills, and who saw the moor as
we see it now ages ago. There is truly a rich reward offered
to the student of our antiquities, which is denied to those
who look with indifference upon the remains of a bygone
day. The light shed by the grey stones of the Celt, enables
us to read something of the past, and as we advance to

x Preface.

historic times, and find the menhir no longer reared upon the
heath, and that the circle and the dolmen cease to be up-
raised, the symbol of that faith which is the salvation of
fallen man, rough-hewn from the moorstone block, takes
their place, and the lamp is kept brightly burning.

But these memorials which testify to the presence of men
who set up by the green paths of the moor the emblem of
their religion, have, in many instances yielded to the rude
buffetings of the wintry blast, or have been cast down by
those in whom, in a later day, these rudely fashioned stones
could call up no tender feelings. Too often have I dis-
covered an old cross overturned and partially hidden from
view by the heather, its broken shaft and mutilated arms
silently upraiding the carelessness that permitted it to remain
prostrate on the ground.

To chronicle the existence of such as were previously
unknown and to collect evidence, if such might be dis-
covered, respecting the time and purpose of their erection,
as well as of those of which mention had been made by
others, has been to me a very pleasant and congenial task ;
and the happy days spent on the breezy hills of Dartmoor
in my search for these relics, which the companionship I
enjoyed rendered happier still, will never be forgotten.

These remarks were written some fifteen years ago, and
Dartmoor is now to me as ever it was. But previous to
their appearance I had made an appeal in behalf of the
stone crosses of that old-time region, and it has been a
source of gratification to me to find that what little I have
done has not been without its effect. Since I first drew
attention to these memorials about fifteen of them have
been re-erected, and once more are seen by the wayside and
in the villages as they were of old. Such evidence respect-
ing the particular purposes they were designed to serve as I
could bring together, my knowledge of the topography of the
district enabled me the more clearly to read, and to draw the

Preface. xi

conclusions set forth in these pages, and which in the opinion
of a reviewer in Notes and Queries are not incorrect.

One of my objects— that of rescuing the wayside and
village cross from neglect — has to some extent been accom-
plished. Another has been the furnishing of a correct
description of them, that those who take an interest in these
memorials may learn something of their appearance
and surroundings, and so far as is possible, of their history ;
and in this, too, I venture to hope I have not been entirely
unsuccessful. While we venerate the cross as a symbol of
the Christian religion, it is less that this is so than that it is
an object of antiquity that I have called attention to it, and
pleaded for its preservation. I should desire that the same
care I have asked for the cross should also be bestowed upon
the stone remains we usually connect with paganism.

I desire to express my indebtedness to Mr. T. A. Falcon
for the pains he has taken in obtaining so fine a series of
photographs for the express purpose of illustrating this
volume, and for the use of a few which appeared in his book
Dartmoor Illustrated.

WM. CROSSING.
Black Down, Dartmoor,
June, 1902.

Wa Cruets liHa IDera.

The dark'ning shadows filled the vale,

The way seemed long and drear,
Rough was the track and hard to trace,

And none to guide was near ;
And soon my falt'ring steps were stayed,

Two paths before me lay,
Oh, for a friendly hand to aid

And show to me the way !

When lo, a rudely fashioned stone

From out the gloom appeared,
A moss-grown cross, in days long flown

By pious hands upreared.
It showed a straight and narrow path —

No more my steps would stray —
And doubts had ceased to trouble now

That I had found the way.

'Twas thus when in the wilderness,

I tried to pierce the gloom,
And find a path to that bright land

That lies beyond the tomb,
The Promise of the Book shone forth,

And by its cheering ray
Revealed the Cross of Calvary,

And then I knew the way.

THE
ANCIENT STONE CROSSES

OF
DARTMOOR & ITS BORDERLAND,

CHAPTER I.

An Old World Region and One of its Antiquities*

Extent of Dartmoor — The Border Towns — Wildness of the Moor —
The Forest Perambulations — A home of Ancient Customs — Border
Scenery — 'Antiquities — The Cross an Object of Veneration — Purposes
of the Stone Cross — Dartmoor Crosses Rude in Appearance — Their
Surroundings — The Border Crosses.

The wild and elevated tract of country known as Dartmoor
is situated in South Devon, and, according to a report
by Dr. Berger, in Moore's history of the county, con-
tains nearly three hundred and fifty square miles of surface.
Other authorities, however, estimate it to be considerably
less in extent, the difference arising accordingly as the several
commons lying near what is now considered as Dartmoor
proper, have been included or not. These commons partake
of its character to a very great degree, and undoubtedly at
no distant time formed a part of it. There is a large extent
of moorland lying to the eastward of Moretonhampstead and
Lustleigh, bounded by the river Teign, which De la Beche, in
his Report on the Geology of Cornwall, Devon, and West Somerset,
considers to be both geologically and geographically a part
of Dartmoor, and it was by including this and other similar
tracts, that Dr. Berger arrived at the estimate he has given of
its size. These portions of moorland have, however, been cut
off by cultivation from the moor proper, and have not been
included by the other authorities when making their estimates.

B

2 The Ancient Stone Crosses

In the report of a Committee of the House of Commons,
made in the early years of the nineteenth century, the size of
the moor is given as one hundred and thirty thousand acres,
or two hundred and three square miles, and this we may con-
sider to be the extent of what is now generally known as
Dartmoor.

The market towns and principal villages on its borders
are Okehampton, Chagford, Moretonhampstead, Ashburton,
Holne, South Brent, Ivybridge, Cornwood, Plympton,
Shaugh, Meavy, Walkhampton, Tavistock, Lydford and
Bridestowe. Its most southerly point is at the foot of the
Western Beacon above Ivybridge, and the distance from this
spot to its northern verge, immediately above the market town
of Okehampton, is, as the crow flies, about twenty-three
miles. Its average breadth is about ten or twelve miles,
though at its widest part, from Black Down on the west to
Ilsington Common on the east, it is over seventeen.

The elevation of Dartmoor is between one thousand
three hundred and one thousand four hundred feet, while
many of its hills attain an altitude of one thousand seven
hundred or one thousand eight hnndred feet, and some over
two thousand, the highest being on its borders.

Many of the hills are crowned with a rugged pile of
granite rocks, known as a tor, which frequently assume grand
and fantastic proportions. Numerous rivers take their rise in
the bogs which are found in many of its more elevated parts,
among which are the Dart (which gives name to the
district), Teign, Taw, Ockment, Tavy, Walkham, Plym,
Yealm, Erme, and the Avon, each having a number of
tributaries. Its principal river, the Dart, is sometimes
erroneously stated to have been so called from the swift-
ness of its current, which, however, is not more rapid than
that of other streams on the moor. In all probability the
the name is derived from the Celtic word dwr — water — a root
found in the names of several rivers in countries peopled by
Celtic tribes.

In some of the more desolate parts of Devon's lonely region
the eye rests upon nothing but a vast stretch of heath, with
here and there a tor, peeping over the gloomy looking ridges, a
desert waste, from which even the faintest signs of civilization
are absent. In other parts are deep valleys down which rush

Of Dartmoor and its Borderland. 3

foaming torrents over rocky beds, the precipitous sides being
clothed with furze and heather, with many a huge granite
boulder half hidden in the wild and tangled growth, the
numerous tors lifting high their rugged crests and standing
like giant sentinels around.

King John disafforested the whole of the County of Devon,
with the exception of Dartmoor and Exmoor, and though the
former when it was afterwards bestowed upon Richard, Earl
of Cornwall, by his brother, Henry III., ceased to be a forest
in law, since none but a king can hold such unless by special
warrant, it has nevertheless continued to be regarded as a
forest down to our own day, and is generally so called.
It is part of the Duchy of Cornwall, and is consequently
always held by the male heir apparent to the throne, as duke,
but in the event of their being none such, it reverts to the
Crown for the time being. Perambulations have been made
from time to time for the purpose of denning the limits of the
forest, which lies in the centre of the moorland region, its
boundaries being, in some parts, several miles from the
cultivated country. The intervening tract, which presents
similar characteristics to the forest, was formerly known as
the Commons of Devonshire. It is made up of parts of a
number of parishes surrounding the forest, many of which
possess Venville rights, as certain privileges of pasturage and
turbary are termed. The forest itself lies entirely within the
parish of Lydford.

The return of a perambulation made in the year 1240
when Richard, Earl of Cornwall, was the lord of Dartmoor,
sets forth the bounds of the forest, and of this there are
several copies extant. A survey of the forest was also
made in 1609, and the bounds as named in this, approach
very closely to those generally recognised at the present
time. These are defined by natural objects, such as a hill,
a tor, or a river. The forest is divided into quarters, of
which the north is the largest.

Ancient customs still survive on Dartmoor, though
gradually giving place to modern usages. Yet it is still
a home for many of our old superstitions and legendary tales,
a place where much that found favour with our ancestors,
and which, perhaps with questionable taste, is now voted out
of fashion, still finds a refuge, and where freedom from all

4 The Ancient Stone Crosses

artificiality may be enjoyed. The artist may there find
ample employment for his pencil, the disciple of Walton may
revel to the full in the pursuit of his art. The geologist,
the botanist, or the antiquary have there a rich field in which
to indulge their various tastes, and the lover of nature can
never tire of the delights afforded by a ramble through the
secluded valleys, and over the breezy hills of wild and
rugged Dartmoor.

But while the interior of the moor bears the palm for
grandeur and sublimity, it is on its borders that one must
look for the fairer and more beautiful scenes, where nature's
softer features are exhibited in striking contrast to the sterner
aspect of the moor.

Here are deep combes, having their sides partially culti-
vated, or clothed with thick coppices of oak, running far up
into the wilds, in many of them more than one substantially
built farmhouse of ancient date nestling in some sheltered
nook, often in close proximity to a rugged tor ; narrow gorges,
through which the rivers leave their mountain birth-place,
affording a glimpse of the barrenness beyond ; steep hillsides
rising from enclosures formed by roughly constructed granite
walls, man's handiwork being of a ruder and more primitive
style as the confines of the moor are approached ; roads wind-
ing by the base of these frontier heights, often carried over the
streams that rush impetuously down the valleys, by grey stone
bridges, forming picturesque objects, which the artist delights
to pourtray ; quiet villages and hamlets on the very verge of
the waste, the low towers of the little churches formed of
granite from the rocky piles that rise so near to them ; and
somewhat further removed, the small market towns we have
named, now brought more into communication with the
larger centres of population, but which for centuries slept
quietly in the shadow of the ancient hills.

No district in our country can boast of so great a number
of rude stone remains as Dartmoor, every part of it furnishing
examples of most of the pre-historic monuments known to the
antiquary. And it is also rich in relics of mediaeval times, and
among these the stone cross is certainly not the least interest-
ing. But of all the objects of antiquity few have, perhaps,
come down to us in so mutilated a condition as this — the one
we should expect would have had bestowed upon it the

Of Dartmoor and its Borderland. 5

greatest care. Not only did the wayside and village cross
suffer at a time when men's mistaken zeal caused them to
commit acts of destruction in and around our churches, but in
quite recent years they have received, in too many instances,
but little consideration. In the one case the guiding influence
was bigotry ; in the other, ignorance or apathy. The latter,
it is pleasing to know, are being removed ; the former we can
pity, without being so uncharitable as to blame. There is, in
truth, no room for blame. The men who cast out the graven
images from the churches, and overturned and shattered the
sculptured stones by the wayside and on the village green,
warred not against the cross, but against idolatry.

Apart from the interest attaching to the cross as a symbol
of Christianity, it has other claims on our attention. No
object in our island belonging to historic times is older. It
existed before the earliest churches, for without doubt the
latter came to the cross — the cross did not come to them.
Where it was reared, people gathered for worship, and be-
lievers had before their eyes that which would cause them to
remember the great work accomplished for mankind, as in
days remote the stones set up in the sacred river reminded
the Israelites of their deliverance from bondage. There is a
tradition connected with the church and cross at North Lew,
a parish to the north of Dartmoor, which tells us that the
latter was anciently a preaching station of the monks of
Tavistock. After a time a church was commenced to be
built. First one aisle, then a second and a third, and so the
structure was gradually completed.

But the cross, though no longer needed for its original
purpose when each parish had its church, remained still an
object of veneration, while within the sacred building its
place was supplied by the great rood. And as it had been
during long years the one point to which the little community
were drawn for worship, so it came to be looked upon as the
common centre of the village, and from it tidings were pro-
claimed in which the people were interested, and much took
place around it that affected the common weal.

An object that could turn the thoughts to an event of such
importance as the great sacrifice once offered for mankind, was
peculiarly fitted for setting up in such places as the wayfarer
might pass, for it became a guide to him in a double sense.

6 The Ancient Stone Crosses

And thus by the track that led from town to town, and by the
lonely paths over the bleak and barren hills, was the cross
erected, that he who journeyed might feel certain of his way.
Where a road diverged from, or was crossed by another, it
was frequently placed* As the old tracks on Dartmoor were
in many cases nothing more than a grassy path, and in places
scarcely to be distinguished, such marks were of the greatest
utility, and no doubt often safely guided the traveller when
pursuing his way over the hills of the silent moor.

As a bond-mark, too, was the cross particularly suitable.
The importance in early times of such being respected was
very great, and an object reverenced as was the cross would
become an efficient guard against encroachments. Many of
the possessions of religious houses had their boundaries so
defined, as is evidenced by records wherein these are named,
not always by crosses set up for the purpose perhaps, but by
adapting those already existing. That some of the crosses in
the Dartmoor country also marked the limits of a sanctuary is
not improbable.

The cross was also erected at the place of burial. In very
remote times we know it was the custom to raise a stone
pillar as a monument over the dead, and in the early days of
Christianity the cross took its place. The ancient observance
was not given up, the form of the monument was simply
changed, and the old menhir and the inscribed stone gave
way to the symbol of the new faith. It is indeed most likely
that the very earliest crosses were those connected with the
rites of sepulture. The sacred emblem was at first merely
inscribed upon the rude pillar, until at length men began to
give the latter the shape of the former, and so the cross was
gradually substituted for the upright stone.

The crosses which are to be found on Dartmoor, like most
of the Devonshire examples, are of simple form, and cannot
boast of the beauty which belongs to some of those existing
to the westward of the Tamar. A few only possess any

"They are often seen in such situations, and the former existence of
others is revealed by the names of many places upon our highways and in
our lanes. It is not, however, suggested that this is always the case when
the word " Cross " is affixed to a name ; sometimes it means nothing more
than a cross-road.

The Drizzlecombe Menhir.

Of Dartmoor and its Borderland. 7

ornamentation, and that in a very slight degree; and, with one
or two exceptions, no inscriptions are to be seen on them.

Their surroundings, however, invest them with a charm
peculiarly their own ; for we cannot behold these old lichen-
stained and weather-beaten memorials of the past, standing in
close proximity to the remains of the rude habitations of the
Celts, without contrasting in our minds the dark times when
those huts were peopled, with the clear daylight which beamed
forth when the cross was planted, and with the blessings
which Christianity has spread over the land.

Among the grey tors they stand in solitude — the far-
stretching heath on every side — with no sound to break the
stillness that reigns around but that of the rushing of the
streams from the rugged hill-sides. As we gaze upon them,
we can let our thoughts stray back to the time when they were
first reared, and in fancy may see the wondrous events which
have since taken place on the stage of this world's vast theatre.
Nor will it fail to strike us how little have all these events
affected what we can see around us. The granite tors still lift
their lofty heads to the sky, the heather and gorse still
bloom on the moor, the stream yet pursues its way over its
rocky bed, and all is here unchanged. While events which
have shaken the outside world, and have decided the fate of
nations, have been occurring, these hills and valleys, huge
rocks and winding streams, have remained as in the days of
old, and these venerable stone crosses have been lost in the
solitariness of the moorlands.

At early morn when all is fresh and bright, when the dew-
drops sparkle on the heather,

" And drowned in yonder living blue,
The lark becomes a sightless song,"

the impressionable mind will experience a pleasurable emotion
at beholding here, far from the haunts of man, the emblem of
the Christian faith. At the hour of sunset, when the shades of
evening are beginning to settle over the wilds, and we hear
that moaning sound so peculiar to the Dartmoor rivers as the
twilight approaches, a calm feeling steals over us, which is
heightened when, perchance, we find ourselves beside an old
granite cross, alone on the heath ; and when night spreads her
dark robe over mountain and plain, and the sole light is that

8 The Ancient Stone Crosses

which is lent by the pale stars, that form will forcibly remind
us of the power which the religion of the cross has exercised
over the darkness of our land, and which it has so happily
dispelled.

The hands that fashioned these time-worn relics have long
since mouldered in the tomb ; and they themselves are oft-
times overturned and shattered, deeply impressing us as we
contemplate their ruin, with the certainty that all the works of
man will fall and crumble away before the touch of Time.

And in many of the rural settlements around the great
uplands, and on the roads that lead to them, we shall also
meet with the objects which it is now our purpose to examine.
Some of these will, of course, differ in character from those
that exist upon the moor itself ; for here the market-cross and
the churchyard-cross will claim a share of our attention, while
on the waste they were set up either to mark a boundary, or as
guides to the wayfarer. And the difference is not only in their
character, for although the crosses of the moorland borders
display little elaboration in their fashioning, yet there are
few of quite so rude a type as the examples seen on the
moor itself. We shall not be disappointed, however, in our
examination of them, though we do find them lack orna-
mentation, for there is much in them and their associations
to interest and attract, while the scenery amid which we
shall roam as we visit in turn these venerable memorials,
will not fail to call forth our admiration, and constitute an
additional delight.

In our ramble we shall seldom stray far from the old moor,
and it will not need that we look towards its hills to tell us of its
proximity, for nearly every step we take will remind us of this.
The old-fashioned farm-house with its wide porch and parvise
room, and mullioned windows, and the lowly thatched cottage,
alike of granite ; and boulders partly covered with moss, and
half-hidden by ferns, by the sides of many of the narrow
lanes, will all plainly reveal that we are near the land of tors,
and will cause us to realise when we sometimes wander by
enclosed fields, and by the dwellings of men, that we are yet
in the Dartmoor country.

Of Dartmoor and its Borderland. 9

CHAPTER II.
The Boundary Crosses of Brent Moor.

Brent Hill — Brent Fair — Church of St. Patrick— Christopher Jellinger —
Brent Market Cross — Hobajon's Cross — Old Map of Dartmoor —
Butterdon Stone Row — Three Barrows — Western Whitaburrow —
Petre's Cross— Sir William Petre — Buckland Ford— The Abbots'
Way — Clapper Bridge — Huntingdon Cross — The Valley of the Avon.

On the left bank of the Avon, a stream that has its source
in a solitary part of the south quarter of the forest, as
the central portion of the great moor is termed, is situated
the small market town of South Brent, and it is here that we
shall commence our ramble. It is distant some mile and a
half from the confines of the moor, to which several roads
lead. Immediately to the north of it rises a lofty eminence
known as Brent Hill, and on the west it is overlooked by the
Eastern Beacon on Ugborough Moor.

The chief attraction in the immediate vicinity of the town
is the first-named height, whence is commanded a most
extensive view, the beauty of which amply compensates the
visitor for the toil of the ascent. The greater part of the
South Hams of Devon lies, as it were, at the feet of the
beholder, while . in the other direction is a grand sweep of
moor, with the ridge of Hameldon rising huge and bold
against the northern sky.

On the summit of Brent Hill are the scanty ruins of a
small building, locally reported to have been a chapel. It is
also stated to be the remains of a windmill, erected towards the
end of the eighteenth century by Dr. Tripe, of Ashburton.
What truth there is in this I know not, but if any, it would
seem more probable that he converted some ancient building
to his purpose. Many years ago I learnt from one who
remembered when much more of the ruin than now exists was
standing, that the walls were pierced with loop holes, and he
had always heard that it was used as a " look-out house."

io The Ancient Stone Crosses

Whether this was so, and it had ever served the purpose of a
place of shelter to the watchers of the beacon fire, I am unable
to offer an opinion, but that such blazed upon this prominent
height, there seems little reason to doubt.*

Less than half a mile to the northward of Brent Hill, and
by the side of the road that leads from Lutton Green to
Gigley Bridge, is a small marshy spot known as Bloody Pool,
though it is only in very wet seasons that much water can be
seen there. What were supposed to be weapons of bronze,
but which are in reality the heads of ancient fishing spears,
were found there many years since, and may be seen in the
Albert Memorial Museum at Exeter.

The manor and church of Brent belonged from a very
early period to the Abbey of Buckfast ; after the Dissolution,
the former was bestowed upon Sir William Petre, and in 1806
a great portion of it was sold. There are two fairs yearly,
and Risdon tells us this was so in his time, but more anciently
it seems to have been held once a year only, at Michaelmas,
and lasted for three days. According to Risdon, one fair was
on May-day, and the other on St. Michael's-day, but in
1778, more than a century and a half after our topographer
wrote his Survey of Devon, the days on which they still
continue to be held were fixed. The fairs commence at
noon on the Monday before the last Tuesday in the months of
April and September, and continue till the Wednesday night ;
but the Tuesday is now the day of the actual fair. The old
custom of holding it "under the glove" is not departed from,
the glove being raised upon a pole when the fair commences,
and kept there during its continuance. This still prevails in
many towns and villages, and is an ancient form of charter ; a
glove sent to the inhabitants was a token that the rights
prayed for were granted.

* If a signalling station so near to the Eastern Beacon on Ugborough
Moor should seem to have been unnecessary, it may be well to explain
that it is doubtful whether that ever was a beacon hill. The name
appears to be a corruption of Pigedon, by which appellation it
was anciently known, according to an old map of Dartmoor, now
in the Albert Memorial Museum at Exeter. On the same map, the moor-
gate at the foot of the hill (now called Peek Gate) is marked as Picke
Yeat, and old people in the neighbourhood used to speak of the height as
Picken Hill. Brent Hill would also seem to be the more suitable of the
two for the purpose of signalling.

Of Dartmoor and its Borderland. 1 1

The parish church dedicated to St. Patrick is situated at
one end of the little town, on a knoll, at the foot of which flows
the Avon. The tower is of earlier date than the church, and
is of late Norman character, with some Early English addi-
tions. The occurrence of arches in the bottom stage, point to
its having been the central tower of a Norman church, and the
building now used as a vestry appears to have formed one of
the transepts of this early structure. Although in four stages
the tower is not of great height.

The font is of red sandstone, and is most beautifully
carved, being of the late conventional Norman type.

In the fifteenth century a vicar of the parish was murdered
in the church, and when it was restored about the year 1870
under the direction of Mr. James Hine, of Plymouth, some
highly finished portions of a recumbent effigy and tomb were
discovered, which Mr. Hine conjectured to belong to the tomb
of this vicar. In 1436 Bishop Lacy reconciled the church,
after its profanation by the murder.

Christopher Jellinger, one of the ministers ejected from the
Church of England by the Act of Uniformity, in 1662, was
sometime vicar of this parish. He was born near Worms,
and studied at Basil and Leyden. After the Restoration the
Marquis of Winchester offered to prefer him if he would
conform, but true to his principles, he refused. He died at
Kingsbridge, at the ripe age of 83 years, continuing to preach
when he was very old.

The ringers of Brent observe some quaint customs at their
annual meeting and supper, duly electing for the year " a lord
chief " and a " crier." Their signatures are then entered in
the " ringers' book," which dates back to 1789.

A few years ago Brent had its cross ; now ignorance has
done its work, and it no longer exists. Within living recollec-
tion it stood against the wall of the old market house, which
was demolished many years ago. The cross was then removed
to a court behind the Anchor Hotel, where it lay neglected
until a very few years since, when a builder broke it up and
carted it off to a building he was erecting in the parish of
Diptford. It is lamentable that such things should be. The
cross was the only antiquity Brent possessed, and that has
been suffered to be destroyed. The shaft and arms were
octagonal in shape, and the former tapered slightly. Its

12 The Ancient Stone Crosses

height was five and a half feet, and across the arms it
measured two feet seven inches.

But though there is no cross now in Brent itself, the
moor belonging to the parish can furnish us with an example,
and, for the purpose of examining this, and others on the
boundary line of the forest, we shall leave the little
town, and direct our steps to Three Barrows, a lofty hill
rising high above the left bank of the Erme. Our way will
first take us by the foot of Splatton Hill to Lydia or Leedy
Bridge, a single arch spanning the Avon. Immediately
above it is a fine waterfall, while below a stately row of
beeches throw their branches partly over the stream, along
the bank of which is a path leading by the vicarage lawn to
the church. Passing up the hill, we reach the hamlet of
Aish, at the higher end of which we turn into a lane on the
left, and, still ascending, at length enter upon the common
known as Aish Ridge.

From this elevated down Three Barrows can be plainly
seen, and for some considerable distance we shall have the
advantage of a moorland track which runs towards it. This
path will bring us to Brent Moor at Coryndon Ball Gate,
soon after which we shall commence the ascent of the hill,
where, on the slope near the summit, we shall find the
shattered remains of one of the objects it is now our purpose
to examine, lying amid the granite with which the ground is
strewed.

Three Barrows, which is about three and a half miles
from Brent and some two miles to the northward of Harford
Church, is crowned with three large cairns, whence its name,
and during an exploration of one of them by Mr. Spence Bate,
recorded in the fifth volume (1872) of the Transactions of the
Devonshire Association, part of a cross, consisting of one of
the arms and the top of the shaft, was found near at hand.
This he, with great probability, supposed to be a portion of
one which he states was set up by a jury of survey, empanelled
to settle some bounds in this part of the moor about a century
and a half before.

He also considered that in it he saw all that remained of a
cross which is mentioned on an old map of Dartmoor as
Hobajon's Cross, and which is there represented as standing
on two steps, and is situated nearly in the middle of a row of

Of Dartmoor and its Borderland. 13

upright stones. This row extends from Butterdon Hill, near
the Western Beacon above Ivybridge, to within a short
distance of Sharp Tor, which overlooks the enclosure known
as Piles Newtake. At the former place it is seen leading
directly from a circle thirty-five feet in diameter, of which the
stones, with the exception of two (and those partially so) are
fallen. This encloses a small cairn about twenty feet in
diameter, much dilapidated.

It has been supposed that the old map in question dates
back as far as 1240, in which year a perambulation of the
forest was made, or even earlier; but, as Mr. J. Brooking
Rowe points out in his Cistercian Homes of Devon,'-' this
cannot be the case, because on it there is a representation of
the Abbey Church of Buckland, which abbey was not founded
until 1278. He considers it to be of two centuries later date.
Further on, I shall bring forward some evidence which I
think will show that this view is the more correct one ; but
without going into this question now, it certainly appears from
the map that a cross was standing in the stone-row at the time
it was drawn, but I am not so sure that it was ever fixed on
steps as it is there represented. Another cross, which we
shall notice hereafter, is shown on the map as standing on
steps in the same manner, although nothing of the sort is to be
seen near it now, so that it is possible that this was no
more than a conventional mode of the draughtsman to indicate
the existence of these crosses, and it was not, perhaps, in-
tended, or considered necessary, to convey a perfectly correct
idea of their form.

Mr. Bate accounts for the cross being erected in the
stone-row on the hypothesis that those who reared it, finding
the dark clouds of superstition clinging to the heathen relic,
were anxious to plant the symbol of Christianity amid the
rude erections of the Pagans. This, indeed, may have been
the case, but I am inclined to think it quite as probable that
the cross was set up simply as a boundary mark. When the
object for which the stone-row was primarily erected was
forgotten, it was naturally looked upon as a boundary, and
still continues to serve as such, constituting, as far as it
extends, the line which divides Ugborough and Harford

* Trans. Devon Assoc., Vol. vii., p. 345.

14 The Ancient Stone Crosses

Moors. As fresh perambulations of the bounds were made,
in all likelihood new marks were added, and Hobajon's Cross
we may not unreasonably consider to be one of these.

The mutilated cross which is at present to be seen, con-
sists, as stated, of the top of the shaft and one of the arms
only. The arm is ten inches in length, the shaft measuring
sixteen inches from its upper surface, and being about four-
teen inches in width. As the sides of it, however, are not
quite parallel, the width is not the same throughout, but is
rather greater at the top. It must have been a massive cross
when in its complete state, with a breadth across the arms of
about two feet eight inches ; its height, of course, it is
impossible to determine. The fracture runs across obliquely
from under the remaining arm. One side of the shaft is ten
inches in thickness, the other only seven inches. It is now
lying on the slope of the hill toward the river Erme, not
far from the north-western cairn.

From the absence of any other cross near the spot, I
think we may safely conclude that this is the one that the
jury, of whom Mr. Bate speaks, erected on one of the cairns
on this hill ; and that it is also the old Hobajon's Cross is
nearly certain, for, although the existence of this mutilated
head is not generally known, the name still lingers here — a
small heap of stones at no great distance from the top of the
hill being called by the moormen Hobajon's Cross.

This point forms the starting place when the bounds of
a portion of the moor in this locality, over which the lord of
the manor of Ermington exercises certain rights, are per-
ambulated— the first record of such perambulation being in
the year 1603.

If the supposition be correct, as no doubt it is, that we now
see on Three Barrows a portion of this ancient cross, we know
that it must have been brought from the stone-row, as we
have no reason to consider the map wrong in representing it
as standing there, but other hands. I think, than those of the
jury of survey did this. From the fact of the manor boundary
mark bearing the name of Hobajon's Cross, it would seem likely
that at one time it was erected there, in which case we should
perhaps be inclined to consider that those who were engaged
in marking out those bounds, were concerned in the removal
of the cross ; but I am of opinion that they were not those

Of Dartmoor and its Borderland. 15

who took it from its original position, although it is not
impossible that they may have used it as a mark for their
boundary,

In the account of Buckfast Abbey in Dr. Oliver's Monasticon
there is an inquisition on the boundary of Brent Moor, dated
1557,* at which time certain rights and privileges pertaining
to it were held by Sir William Petre in virtue of his
possession of the manor of South Brent. This boundary line
was marked by four crosses at certain points ; one on the
centre cairn at Three Barrows, one on the cairn known as
Western Whitaburrow, a third at Buckland Ford, and a
fourth at the confluence of the Avon, or Aune, with the
Western Wellabrook, and they each had the words " Bunda
de Brentmore," engraven on their faces. I am inclined to
believe that it was for the purpose of serving as a mark to
these bounds that Hobajon's Cross was taken from the row
of stones, and if it ever stood on the little cairn marking the
boundary of the lands over which the manorial rights of
Ermington extend, it was taken there from Three Barrows, in
which case the jury of survey, to whom Mr. Bate has alluded,
must have found it there, and set it up once more upon the
great cairn on the hill. There is no trace of any inscription to
be seen on the portion which now remains of this interesting
relic, and how it became so mutilated it is impossible to say.

I have carefully examined the stone-row on several occa-
sions, but could never find any traces of the steps as shown
on the map, and, as before observed, it is doubtful whether
they ever existed.

On a stone at the extreme end of a rowt nearest Sharp
Tor, and which is much larger than most of the others
which compose it, is a small incised cross measuring seven
inches in height and five and a half inches across. This stone
is evidently an addition to the row, but is distinguishable, at a
glance, from a modern boundary post. It stands about three
and a half feet above the ground, and appears to mark some
important point, as it is placed in the middle of a small, rough

* Monasticon Dioecesis Exoniensis, p. 378.

f From its commencement at the circle on Butterdon Hill, to its termi-
nation at this stone, the row is one thousand seven hundred and ninety-one
yards in length. The distance of the centre cairn on Three Barrows from
the stone is two thousand three hundred and twenty-five yards.

1 6 The Ancient Stone Crosses

circular pavement, about six feet nine inches in diameter.
May we not allow that there is a probability that this inscribed
stone marks the spot where, in years long since flown, the old
cross was standing, and that it was set up, after the re-
moval of the latter, as a memorial of it by those who were
interested in preserving these particular bounds ? I do not
forget that the map represents Hobajon's Cross as being in the
centre of the stone-row, and this stone as I have said, is at its
end ; but the row is continued from this point by modern
boundary stones, and in all probability was so continued by
older bond-marks at the time the map was drawn, so that if
the cross really stood on the spot in question, in placing it in
the middle of the row, the map would be substantially correct.

There is one consideration we must not overlook, which is,
that it would not have been a very difficult task to remove
the cross from Three Barrows, and to have re-erected
it in the row, instead of setting up another stone there in its
place. But it is not unlikely that it was found to be broken,
though perhaps not in such a mutilated state as we see it
now, and was no longer in a condition to be placed in its old
position.

The view from the commanding height of Three Barrows,
or as old records have it, Threberis, is one of great variety
and beauty. A large portion of the country lying between
the southern frontier of Dartmoor and the Channel is spread
out before us, and most of the prominent headlands on the
South Devonshire coast are plainly visible. On the other
side we look into the moor. Away to the northward is
seen the boggy land in the neighbourhood of Erme Head,
with the distant tors peeping over the dark brown ridges.
Westward the river flows at a great distance below the
wind-swept height on which we stand, and Piles Wood is
discernible far down the steep, stretching along the bank
of the stream.

Before leaving Three Barrows we must not omit to
observe the fine reave, or boundary bank, which runs up from
the East Glaze to the centre cairn, and pursues its course
down the slope of the hill towards a little stream that falls
into the Erme.

Proceeding in a northerly direction we shall make our
way to Western Whitaburrow, one of the bounds of the

Of Dartmoor and its Borderland. 17

forest ; and in so doing shall follow the line of posts that
mark the boundary of Brent Moor, which boundary appears
to be indicated on the old map by a line on which are placed
what seems to be meant for three stones.

The cairn which bears the name of Western Whitaburrow
is sixty-three yards in circumference, and according to the
inquisition alluded to, the second cross marked with the words
" Bunda de Brentmore " was placed here. Until about the
year 1847 it was to be seen erect on the centre of the cairn ;
but it was then partially destroyed by some workmen in the
employ of a company which was formed for the purpose
of extracting naphtha from the peat that here abounds,
but the undertaking was not a success. The works
were close to Shipley Bridge, and the peat was taken
thither from this spot on tram-waggons ; the old tram-road
is now in a very ruinous condition, but still serves as a
bridle-path.

There being no place of shelter near, the labourers erected
a house on the cairn with the stones of which it was compos-
ed, and, requiring a large stone as a support for the chimney-
breast ,they knocked off the arms of the cross and used the
shaft for that purpose. I learnt this over thirty years ago
from one of the men who had been employed on the works at
the time, and gleaned further facts concerning the cross from
others, who had then long known the moor. It may here
be well to correct a statement that appeared in a guide-book,
published about three years since, to the effect that the
cross was discovered by the Ordnance surveyors at a
"factory building near Didworthy." There is no foundation
whatever for it. The house at the cairn has been taken
down for many years ; the walls, to the height of about three
or four feet, being all that is now to be seen of it, but the
shaft of the cross has, fortunately, not been lost. It is now
set up on the cairn, and has had the broad arrow cut on it by
the Ordnance surveyors. It measures four feet in height,
and about fifteen inches in width. At the end which is now
uppermost there is a tenon, and I therefore take this to be
the bottom of the shaft, which was so fashioned in order
that it might fit into a socket. The name of it, too, is still
unforgotten, for the spot is seldom called by its older

c

1 8 The Ancient Stone Crosses

appellaton of Whitaburrow,* but is generally known as
Petre's Cross.

Sir William Petre, of whom Prince in his Worthies of
Devon gives us an account, and who was, as already stated,
the possessor of certain rights over Brent Moor was born
at Tor Newton, in the parish of Tor Brian. He was
Secretary of State in four reigns, those of Henry VIII.,
Edward VI., Mary, and Elizabeth ; and, it is said of him that
in this office he was " smooth, reserved, resolved, and yet
obliging." He amassed great wealth derived from the
monastic possessions which were granted to him. He died
in 1571, and was buried at Ingatestone in Essex.

Our search for the third cross will take us to Buckland
Ford — so we shall make our way down the hill in a north-
easterly direction, and passing a bound-stone, shall soon
reach the foot of a steep narrow gully, close to which we
shall observe an old path, which we shall descend for a short
distance to a point where it crosses a small stream which falls
into the Avon just below. This is Buckland Ford, but we
shall look in vain for the cross. This ford is shown on some
maps as being on the Avon. This is wrong ; it is the cross-
ing-place over a tributary of that river, as above described.
It doubtless was so called in consequence of being on the
monks' path leading to Buckland. I have carefully searched
around the spot, yet have never been able to find it, nor can I
learn that any one has ever seen it. Some mining operations
appear to have been carried on near the bank of the Avon,
and it is possible that the cross may have been destroyed by
those who were concerned in them.

The old track which crosses the stream at this ford is
called the Abbots' Way, and can be traced from Dean Moor
for several miles, passing the source of the Ernie, and the
head waters of the Plym. It formed a direct means of com-

*So spelt with the addition of an e in the survey of the forest of 1609 ;
in the perambulation of 1240, the name is spelled Whyteburghe. It is
Eastern Whitaburrow, however which is mentioned in these perambula-
tions, and not Western Whitaburrow. The cairn known as Eastern
Whitaburrow is ninety yards in circumference, and twelve yards in
height. Tne name is pronounced with the i long, as though spelled
\Vhite-a-burrow,

Of Dartmoor and its Borderland. 19

munication between the abbeys of Buckland and Tavistock on
one side of the moor, and Buckfast on the other. The name
by which I have always heard it called by the moor-men is
Jobbler's or Jobber's Path, which it doubtless obtained from
being used by the yarn -jobbers in former days. The monks
of Buckfast were extensive traders in wool, and this com-
modity and yarn spun from it, no donbt often formed the
loads which were carried on the backs of horses on this old
road. It appears more than probable that it passed near
where Princetown now stands, for I find that Mr. Burt in his
preface to Carrington's Dartmoor, published in 1826, states
that traces of a trackway called Jobbers' Cross were visible
across bogs near the prison.

Although we shall be unsuccessful in finding the cross at
Buckland Ford, we shall be well repaid for having visited the
spot, for the surroundings combine to form a most pleasing
picture of a moorland valley, secluded and quiet, and closed in
by hills on every hand. Behind us stretches the heathery
slope known as Bush Meads, anciently Bishop's Meads ; to
our left (in summer time covered thickly with ferns) a hill
rises precipitously from the Avon, which here bends round in
a fine sweep. On our right hand the bottom of the valley is
shut in by Dean Moor, and immediately in front of us, on the
opposite side of the river, is Huntingdon Warren, a find bold
hill of good hard ground, free from heather, but covered
in places with scattered granite. Several enclosures, the rude
erection of the Danmonii, are in sight, and tell us that this
quiet valley was once thickly peopled by the ancient inhabi-
tants of the moor.

Not far from where we stand the Avon is spanned by a
rude bridge of two openings, formed of slabs laid on a centre
pier, consisting partly of the natural rock.^ Further up the

*Bridges formed of huge flat stones laid upon rudely wrought abut-
ments and piers, are termed clappers, and are almost peculiar to the Dart-
moor country. This bridge, although constructed in a precisely similar
manner to those which are undoubtedly of some age. is distinguishable
from them at a glance. Here the edges of the granite are not rounded as
they are in the older examples. The two stones which form the roadway
and which once were evidently one, show the marks of wedges used in
spliting them. I have been told that it was built by the first owner of the
warren, which was formed ear!}' in the nineteenth century. The bridge
however, presents a very picturesque appearance.

2o The Ancient Stone Crosses

stream is a craggy hollow, though we can see little of it, from
which the river issues. It there falls in a series of small
cascades and widely spreading rivulets over a number of
rocky ledges, olaced at the head of the solitary glen.

From Buckland Ford we shall follow the Abbots' Way
to the Avon, and tracing the river downward shall cross
it at another ford, at a spot known to the moormen as
Lower Huntingdon Corner, immediately above the con-
fluence of the stream with the Western Wellabrook. It
is here the inquisition says, the fourth cross was set
up, and we shall be gratified at observing it standing
erect a few yards from the bank of the river. It is now
known as Huntingdon Cross, and is situated at the corner of
the warren. It is immediately within the forest bounds, and
close to the spot where the parish of Lydford (in which the
whole of the forest lies) joins the parishes of Dean and
Brent.

Although the crosses at Buckland Ford and Lower Hunt-
ingdon Corner were claimed in 1557 as marking the boundary
of Brent Moor, it is not at all probable that such was their
original purpose. That, there is little doubt, was to mark the
Abbots' W7ay, and they were adapted later as boundary stones
But it is, nevertheless, certain that Brent Moor never ex-
tended to Buckland P^ord. The Perambulation of 1240 and
the Survey of 1609 both show that the forest boundary line
runs from the confluence of the Wellabrook and the Avon to
Eastern Whitaburrow, and not directly to Western Whita-
burrow, so that Buckland Ford would lie some way within the
forest. The placing of the Brent boundary at the latter spot
was simply an encroachment on the duchy property, of which
there are a number of similar instances in other paats of the
moor.

The name Huntingdon is not improbably derived from aun,
water (in this particular instance the name of the river which
here flows by) and dun, a hill, i.e., the water hill, which cer-
tainly commends itself as a very suitable apellation, for the
latter is bounded on two sides by the Avon or Aune, and on a
third by the Wellabrook.

Huntingdon Cross is romantically situated in a kind of
hollow, the rising ground surrounding it being covered with
patches of heather, with here and there a grey boulder of

Of Dartmoor and its Borderland. 2 r

granite. All around is silent, save for the low murmuring
of the waters as they run over their pebbly bed. The only
signs of life are the furry inhabitants of the warren, and, per-
chance, a herd of Dartmoor ponies, wild as the country over
which they roam, and a few sheep or cattle grazing on the
slopes. The cross is surrounded by rushes, and a delapidated
wall — the warren enclosure — runs near it. It stands a little
out of the perpendicular, and is close upon four and a half
feet in height. Across the arms it measures one foot ten
inches. There is no trace whatever of any inscription to be
seen upon it

Evidences of the occupancy of man, and of the works of
his hand, are plainly visible in this spot. The Abbots' Way
is here distinctly seen ascending the left bank of the river as
it makes for the enclosed country above Dean Burn. Along
the bank of the Wellabrook old mining operations have left
their traces ; and on the slope of the hill to the east is a large
circular enclosure, two hundred and eighty yards in circum-
ference, and between it and the Avon are nine hut circles.
Further down the river these hut settlements are numerous,
especially on the left bank.

With our examination of Huntingdon Cross we shall
conclude the survey of the four which formerly served to
mark the bounds of what was claimed as Brent Moor, and
shall make our way down the valley of the Avon to Shipley
Bridge, a distance of about three miles. Here, passing
through the moor gate, we enter upon a lane which will
conduct us to the hamlet of Aish, whence descending once
more to Lydia Bridge, we shall return to South Brent.

22 The Ancient Stone Crosses

CHAPTER III.

By the Southern Border Heights.

TJgborough Moor — Bagga's Bush — Old Guide-post — Sandowl Cross —
Hookinoor Cross — Ugborough Church — Bishop Prideaux — Owley —
Spurrell's Cross — Harford — Broomhill to Ivybridge.

The line of stone posts which we noticed in our progress
from Three Barrows to Western Whitaburrow serves to
mark the boundary between the moors of Brent and Ug-
borough. The latter common extends from the forest to the
foot of the Eastern Beacon, near Wrangaton, thrusting its
southern extremity into the cultivated country.

Not far from the foot of this is situated the village of
Ugborough, and thither we shall now proceed, afterwards
entering again upon the commons, and crossing them to the
parish of Harford.

We shall leave Brent by the old Plymouth coach-road, and
on crossing Brent Bridge shall find that it takes a course to
the right of the present highway. About a quarter of a mile
from the bridge is a spot called Bagga's Bush, near which is
a stone worthy of a passing notice. It is an old guide-post,
standing close by the roadside, small in size and barely thirty
inches in height. On its face is the letter M denoting the
direction of Modbury, the road, or lane, leading to that place,
diverging a short distance further on. Its eastern and western
sides bear respectively the letters E and P, standing for
Exeter and Plymouth. The letters are cut in relief, two of
them being much worn.

Following the Modbury lane we shall soon reach a bridge
over the Glaze, a stream serving as a boundary between the
parishes of Brent and Ugborough, just beyond which, near a
wayside inn called the Carew Arms, we cross the modern
road to Plymouth. The lane ascends the hill, and will lead
us direct to the spot where we shall find the object that will
next claim our attention.

This is a stone set up in the centre of a small open space,
whence several roads diverge, named Sandowl Cross, but at

Of Dartmoor and its Borderland. 23

one time more generally known as Sign o' the Owl. It is
related that a hostelry once stood upon the spot, called The
Otvl, whence the latter name. Whether there is any truth in
this I am unable to say, but I should be inclined to think not,
.as the correct name seems to be Sandowl. The stone does
not appear to have ever been fashioned into the shape of a
cross ; it is somewhat unsuitable for the shaft of such, nor
.are there any traces of fracture, as would be the case had it
ever possessed a head and arms. But there is nothing in the
fact of the place bearing the name which it does, to cause us
to suppose that a cross must necessarily have once stood there,
for as already has been observed, cross-roads are sufficient to
•confer such a title. The height of the stone above the ground
is about thirty-two inches, and it is about four feet in girth.
Its four sides nearly face the cardinal points, and on each,
near the top, is a letter, cut in relief. On the northern face
(or strictly speaking N.E. by N.) is the letter B which stands
for Brent, and points out the road by which we have ap-
proached the stone from that place. On another face is the
letter T indicating the direction of Totnes ; on a third face the
letter K standing for Kingsbridge ; and on a fourth the
letter M, one of the side strokes of which is somewhat worn,
meaning Modbury. The stone is very interesting as an old
guide-post, and the letters are similar in character to those
found upon other stones in quite a different part of the moor-
land borders.

There is a. very good view of a portion of the south-eastern
frontier of Dartmoor from Sandowl Cross. The Eastern
Beacon looks, quite near, but its appearance is not so fine as
when viewed from Brent. To the left of it is the Western
Beacon above Ivybridge, and to the right several prominent
heights on Brent Moor, with Brent Hill rising in the form
of a bold, conical peak.

The road to Modbury which passes through the village of
Ugborough, branches off on the right hand, a short distance
to the westward of Sandowl Cross, and it is this which we
shall now pursue. Very soon the road is crossed by another,
and immediately around the corner of the hedge on our right,
an object will be observed which will arouse our interest.
This is a small granite cross, somewhat rudely fashioned, and
.a little weathered, though otherwise in a complete state. It

24 The Ancient Stone Crosses

is leaning toward the hedge, but only slightly ; its southern
face fronts the road. It is known by the name of Hookmoor
Cross, and served the same purpose as the stone we have just
been examining, for on it are four letters cut in relief in a
precisely similar manner. These letters are M B T and P
standing respectively for Modbury, Brent, Totnes, and Ply-
mouth. The first is placed between the arms on the southern
face ; the second occupies a like position on the northern face,
now hidden, as it fronts the hedge ; the third is cut on the
end of the eastern arm, and the last on the end of the western
one. The cross is two and a half feet in height, and measures
fifteen inches across the arms, which are about seven or eight
inches deep, and project about four inches from the shaft.
This is the height also that the head, which is tapering, rises
above them. Below the arms the shaft is only worked for a
few inches, the bottom part of the stone from which the cross
is formed being left in its original condition. Had the letters
been incised we might have imagined that they were placed
on the cross at a period subsequent to its first erection, but
cut as they are in relief, it is evident that this was done at
the time it was made, and it therefore becomes certain that
the primary object of those who set it up was to point the
way to the traveller, the emblem of his faith at the same time
reminding him of the path he must pursue if he would safely
accomplish that longer journey which ends only at the grave.

Pursuing the southern road for a short distance we shall
come in sight of the village of Ugborough, and as we descend
the hill leading to it we shall be struck with the very impos-
ing appearance of its church, the noble sixteenth century
tower rising to a height of nearly one hundred feet. The
sacred edifice occupies a commanding position, upon rising
ground on the southern side of a large open space, round
which the houses of the village cluster, and is approached
by a broad, semi-circular flight of granite steps.

We have seen that the tower at Brent is much older than
the church ; the reverse is the case at Ugborough, for here
the church is of some two hundred years earlier date than the
tower. Few country parishes in Devon can boast of one so
large, and the ecclesiastical antiquary will find much in it of
interest. There are a great number of finely carved bosses in
the roof of the north aisle, three of them towards the western

Of Dartmoor and its Borderland. 25

end being very remarkable. One represents a smith at work ;
another a sow suckling a litter of eight ; and the third the
head of a Turk. In the north transept, which was restored
in 1862, is a stained window, with figures of the four evangel-
ists, and in the east wall of the same is a brass, having
engraved upon it the effigy of a female. It was discovered in
the year just mentioned, close at hand, along with another,
which was unfortunately destroyed. A portion only of the
screen remains, but it is very beautifully carved.

A little over three hundred years ago Ugborough Church
was the scene of a competition between two candidates for
the post of parish clerk. In order to decide between them, an
arrangement was made that they should " tune the psalm,"
and this was accordingly carried out. The one who was
defeated was John Prideaux, of Stowford, in the adjoining
parish of Harford, and he felt the disappointment very keenly.
But it was the means of introducing him to higher things.
Not long after he left Ugborough and made his way to
Oxford. Working first in the kitchen of Exeter College,
he devoted all his spare time to study, and was at length
admitted to its literary privileges. In three years he took
the degree of Bachelor of Arts, and was afterwards raised by
Charles I. to a bishopric. " If I could have been parish
clerk of Ugborough," he used to say, " I had never been
Bishop of Worcester."

In the parish of Ugborough was born in 1620, Sir John
Kempthorn, an eminent naval commander, who in engagements
with the Turks and Dutch proved himself a brave officer.

A relic of pre-historic times was found in 1889, on Wood-
land Farm. This was a stone adze, 3^ inches in length,
2T% inches in breadth, the hole in it measuring i inch by £ of
an inch. In the portion of this parish that lies upon
Dartmoor are not a few interesting memorials of the people
who at an early period made the wild hills their home.

Bidding Ugborough and its church adieu, we shall make
our way to Owley Gate, which opens on to Ugborough Moor,
below the Eastern Beacon, and for this purpose shall retrace
our steps to Sandowl Cross, and thence proceed to Wrangaton
Station. Crossing the line and entering the lane leading to the
moor, a walk of about a mile and a half will bring us to the
gate. Here we shall observe a rough track, pursuing which

•26 The Ancient Stone Crosses

for a short distance, and crossing the head of a little brook,
we shall find it has become a smooth green path of consider-
able width. By following this grassy road, which runs nearly
due east and west, and which we shall be well able to do,
•even after it loses its present character and is covered with
heather, for it is marked throughout the whole of its course
by small heaps of stones placed at short distances apart, we
shall reach the moor gate at Harford. This path forms the
most direct route to that place from O\\ley or from Brent.

We shall find the object of which we are in quest about
a mile from the gate by which we have entered on the
moor. It is the top of the shaft, and one of the arms
of a very curious old cross, and it is much to be lamented
that it has been so mutilated. It is known as Spurrell's
Cross (though the moormen sometimes call it Purl's) and is
situated by the side of the path we have been following, close
to the point where it is intersected by an old road, which
though now exhibiting the marks of wheels and showing us
that it is sometimes used as a way for bringing in peat, is
very probably an ancient track, and can be traced a consider-
able distance. It passes between Sharp Tor and Three
Barrows, and goes direct to Left Lake Ford, and from thence
to one of the boundary stones of Ugborough and Harford
Moors. From this point it becomes a narrow path, but can
be followed as far as Hook Lake, a stream that runs down the
hollow called Stony Bottom and falls into the Erme. Erme
Pound is at no great distance from that hollow, and a little to
the north of it the Abbots' Way crosses Red Lake. South of
the cross this track may be traced to the enclosed lands below
the Eastern Beacon.

The shaft of Spurrell's Cross is missing, and the mutilated
head is simply fixed up on a few loose stones. There is little
-doubt, however, that, being found at the intersection of paths,
it is now on iis original site, or within a short distance of it.

But besides marking the track from Owley and the one
which crosses it, it also served to indicate the direction of
another. This latter ran from Buckfast to Plympton, and
joins the Owley path not far from where the cross is seen. I
have traced it for several miles along the verge of the moor.
It crossed the Erme at Harford and went through Cornwood,
and thence to Plympton by way of Sparkwell.

Of Dartmoor and its Borderland, 27

Although what remains of Spurrell's Cross is but a
fragment, it is sufficient to show that it possessed a certain
amount of roughly executed ornamentation. It appears to
have been cylindrical in shape, and across the upper and
under surfaces of the arm there are projections about an inch
and a half high, and about two and a half inches wide. The
same are also to be observed on each side of the top of the
shaft, the only part of this which is now remaining. These
must have given the cross a very interesting appearance,
when in its complete state. There is no other example of
a Dartmoor cross in which this rude kind of ornamentation
occurs, nor is there anything of the sort to be observed on
those which are pourtrayed in Blight's Ancient Crosses and
Antiquities of Cornwall.

The portion that is left to us of this interesting relic
measures from the top of the shaft to the fracture, which
is immediately below the arms, one foot eleven inches.
One arm is completely gone, and the end of the other is
also broken. From the present extremity of this arm to the
further side of the shaft from where the other has been broken
off, the measurement is one foot five inches. From the upper
surface of the arm to the top of the shaft it is nine and a half
inches, and the diameter of the arm is about one foot.

It presents a very weather-beaten appearance, and, though
ornamented in the manner described, is rougher on its surface
than most of the crosses that are found on the moor. This,
however, may have arisen from the wearing away of the
granite.

Turning our faces towards the direction from which we
have come, a very pleasing view is presented. The little
market town of South Brent is seen, with the lofty eminence
which we have noticed, rising conspicuously above it. The
vale of the Avon towards Avon wick, with the woods which
cover the steep bank of the river, is plainly visible, and, as
far as the eye can reach, are fields, with here and there a
farmstead nestling amid the trees. On our right are the
rocks on the summit of the Eastern Beacon, and near us
on each hand several low, delapidated cairns.

Proceeding once more in a westerly direction, we shall
observe at a short distance from the cross, a row of single
upright stones intersecting the path nearly at right angles ;

28 The Ancient Stone Crosses

and a little further on, we shall again approach the row of
stones which runs from Butterdon Hill towards Sharp Tor,
and which here crosses our grassy track. This will now take
us down a slope, and after passing the source of a rivulet that
falls into the Erme, just below Harford, we shall soon reach
the moor gate.

A walk of a few minutes will bring us to Harford Church,
a little sanctuary pleasingly situated an the verge of the
common. Here may be seen an altar tomb, on which is a
brass with an effigy of a knight in complete armour. It
represents Thomas Williams, Speaker of the House of
Commons, in the reign of Elizabeth, and who died in 1566.

A mural monument will also be observed, erected by John
Pricleaux, to the memory of his parents, who were buried
here. His father and mother are represented, with their
twelve children, seven sons and five daughters. In the centre
is the Bishop in his robes, and underneath is an inscription
telling of him who rests below.

From Harford a path leads by the vicarage, and crossing
Butter Brook by a single stone clapper, passes near the
rugged pile of Tor Rocks. The road is regained just opposite
the gate of Broomhill Farm, and a short distance further on it
skirts the grounds of Lukesland, the pleasantly situated seat
of Mr. James J. Mac Andrew. The mansion was built about
forty years ago, close to the site of an older house, called
Lukesland Grove, which was then pulled down. It presents
an imposing appearance, and the grounds about it are so care-
fully laid out that a perfect harmony with the surroundings is
preserved. Although standing some six hundred feet above
sea level, the mansion, of which but a glimpse is obtainable
from the road, is remarkably well sheltered.

Soon after passing the lodge gates of Lukesland, the more
modern residence of Erme Wood will be observed on the
right hand, and not far beyond this, just after commencing
the descent of the hill, Stowford is reached. The old house
has, in great part, disappeared, and the modern one has
nothing in the shape of architectural beauties to recommend
it. From Stowford we shall make our way to Ivybridge, the
pleasing situation of which, and delightful surroundings, have
combined to render it one of the most favourite resorts on
the southern confines of the moor.

Of Dartmoor and its Borderland. 29

CHAPTER IV.

From the Erme to the Plym*

Ivybridge — The Erme — Church of St. John— Inscribed Stone — Fardle —
Blatchford — Cornwood — Hawns and Dendies — Cross at Cholwich
Town — An Ancient Farmhouse — Biackaton Cross — Cadaford Bridge.

Situated on the high road to Plymouth, from which town
it is distant about eleven miles, and having a station on the
Great Western Railway, Ivybridge is easily reached by the
tourist, and there can be no better place from which to
explore the extensive commons that fringe the South quarter
of Dartmoor Forest.

The first object to claim our attention in this pleasant
little town will be the old bridge spanning the river, and
covered in great part with ivy, but whether it is the
actual one whence the place derives its name is open to
question. There is, however, not much doubt about its
being the same that existed in Sir William Pole's day.
That writer states that " Ivebrigge tooke its name from
ye bridge which lieth over ye Erme beinge much inclined
to the ivy,"* but as the village was known by the name
it now bears long before his day, it would seem that
the bridge took the place of a more ancient one. It
is plainly noticeable from beneath, that at some period
it has been widened. The original purpose of the bridge,
that of affording the means of horses only crossing the
stream, would not have necessitated the construction of one
of the width of that now existing. With our modern ideas
we should regard it as narrow, but we must not forget that
there is some difference between what would be required for
the passage of a pack-horse, and for a wheeled vehicle. It

* This was written in the early part of the seventeenth century. Sir
William Pole dying in 1635.

30 The Ancient Stone Crosses

is, however, of sufficient size for its present purpose, for about
1832 a new one was built a short distance below, and it is
there the main road now crosses the stream, and conse-
quently the former is relieved of most of the traffic. Four
parishes meet at the old bridge, those on the eastern bank of
the river being Ugborough and Harford, and those on the
western, Ermington and Cornwood.

The Erme is a charming river, and to trace it to its source
will prove, for one who is not afraid of a day's walk, a most
delightful ramble. In order to do this he should proceed up
the hill towards the railway station, and immediately after
passing beneath the viaduct, a path will be observed on the
right which leads directly to the river. The rambler will now
find himself in Stowford Cleave, a deep winding valley whose
precipitous sides are thickly clothed with trees, and running,
between Henlake and Hanger Downs, and a portion of
Harford Moor. At each step new beauties will unfold them-
selves. Now the path is carried close to the river's brink,
while a little further on the stream is lost in the thick and
tangled foliage, to almost suddenly reappear at the head of
some bend hitherto concealed by the dark firs. Here a deep
pool, partly hidden by grey rocks, and above it an open reach,
where the shallow waters run murmuringly over the pebbles.
Above, the sky almost shut out from view by the living
canopy of green ; below, the feet sinking deeply in moss, and
the tall ferns reaching nearly to one's waist, when for a
moment the path is forsaken. The carolling of happy birds,
the hum of insects, the gentle rustling of leaves and the
sound of running waters, form fitting music to charm the ear
and call forth from the heart of the contemplative man praises
of nature's God. Anon the path becomes rougher, and in
part obliterated, and by-and-bye the valley widens a little,
and glimpses of the moor are obtained. Further on, the hills
come in view, and up yonder, upon the very verge of the
common, is the little church of Harford, with trees clustering
about it, the whole picture at this point being as charming a
one as it is possible to conceive. Still onward, the eyes of
the rambler feasting upon the view before him till leaving the
river for a small space, and crossing a field, he gains a lane
that will lead him to Harford Bridge, upon the skirts of the
moor. Here he will linger to obssrve the many fresh beauties

Of Dartmoor and its Borderland. 31

around him, ere entering upon the commons, and bestow
some notice upon the old structure thrown over the river.
And now he will bid adieu to the fields and the woods, for the
moor is before him. As he passes into its recesses he will
meet with much that will afford him delight. Nature will be
seen in her ruder form, while the cairn and the stone circle
will speak of those who in the early days dwelt in the silent
valley through which flows the beautiful stream.

Ivybridge Church is a modern building, having been
opening in 1882, and it possesses but little to interest. The
ruins of the old church close by are, however, very pic-
turesque, being almost entirely covered with ivy, but can boast
of no great antiquity, the original edifice only dating back
to 1789, while some portion of what is now seen are the
remains of additions made to it so late as 1835. Previous to
an ecclesiastical district being formed out of the parishes of
Ugborough, Ermington, and Cornwood, it was called St.
John's Chapel, and was enlarged in the year just named, in
consequence of the increase in the number of inhabitants.
When the present church was built the old one was dis-
mantled, but the tower and the walls were suffered to remain
intact, adding much to the attractivness of the surroundings
of the new edifice.

Near the lower end of the town, and lying considerably
back from the road, is Highlands, the seat of Mr. William
Coryton, and where formerly resided Mr. William Cotton,
the founder of the Cottonian Library at Plymouth. Below it
on the other side of the way, is the chapel of the Wesleyans,
a remarkably fine building, and nearly opposite to this was
formerly the chief hotel of the place. This is shown in an
engraving in Moore's History of Devon, with the stage-coach
ready to start at the door.

A road runs from Ivybridge to the town of Tavistock,
passing through the village of Cornwood, where it is crossed
by the one which we have already pointed out as the ancient
track between Buckfast and Plympton. At the Plym the
Tavistock road joins another, which is also very ancient, and
which we shall notice later on, but for the present shall confine
our attention to the road from Ivybridge to the stream named.

Leaving the old bridge over the Enne, we make our way
up the hill by the side of the churchyard, and passing the

32 The Ancient Stone Crosses

substantial granite building erected for the accommodation of
the Orphan Girls' School, founded by Dame Hannah Rogers,
we shall soon reach a part of the road that runs parallel to the
railway for a short distance. As we proceed we shall notice
on our left some buildings a little way down the hill ; these are
the kennels of the Dartmoor hounds. Below them is Wood-
lands, a hamlet on the old Plymouth road, of which, according
to Risdon, there were anciently lords bearing the same name,
one of them — Walter Woodland — being servitor to the Black
Prince. After passing the lane that leads down to this place
we shall, at the distance of about three quarters of a mile,
reach a small wood, which the road we are pursuing skirts for
a hundred yards or so. From this a little rivulet issues, the
roadway being carried over it by a bridge formed by stones
being laid across its channel, but it is only of small size. It
is known locally as Potsans Bridge, and though insignificant
in itself, has yet some interest attaching to it, for it was here
that the inscribed stone, generally referred to as the Fardle
Stone, was found.

Its position in the bridge was at the lower end, a circum-
stance to which it owes its preservation, for had it been placed
in the centre, it would either have been covered entirely by
the road metalling, and so never have been discovered, or by
being in the way of the traffic have suffered injury. It was
taken from the bridge to Fardle farm-court, whence it was
afterwards removed to the British Museum, through the
instrumentality of Sir Edward Smirke. It is a matter for
congratulation that so interesting a stone has been preserved,
but at the same time one cannot but feel that it would have
been more satisfactory had steps been taken to effect this
without removing it far from the spot on which it was found.
The stone, which Sir Edward described in an article in the
Transactions of the Royal Institution of Cornwall, in 1861, is said
to be six feet three inches in length, two feet ten inches in
breadth, and to have a thickness of about seven inches.

The inscriptions upon this stone have been variously read.
One side is said to bear the word Sagranui, and the other
Fanoni Maqvinni* both in the Roman character, while along

* Other renderings are Sagramni, and Sapaiini, and in the second
name Maqvisuii. The Maq is equivalent to Mac, "the son of."

Of Dartmoor and its Borderland. 33

its edge is an Ogham inscription, t which has been given as
Safaqquci Maqiqici, or possibly, Maqinci. Dr. Ferguson states
that the Ogham inscriptions of South Britain are nearly
always accompanied by a corresponding one in the Roman
character. But this does not seem to be the case on the
Fardle Stone, if the Oghams have been read correctly, the
inscriptions appearing to be independent of each other, and
commemorating three different persons, Sagramnus, and
Fanonus, the son of Virinus (Fanon the son of Rian) in the
Roman lettering, and Safaqquc, the son of Qici, or Cuic.
The Fardle Stone and a stone at Tavistock are the only ones
that have been found in Devon with an Ogham inscription,
but they prove that the symbol of the ancient Irish
language was in the far-away days not unknown in this
part of our island.

f The characters of the Ogham alphabet, or symbols of the Erse, or
ancient Irish language, are simply notches and short lines cut on or across
an upright line, the latter being generally in the angle of the stone on
which the inscription is graven, and the letters so formed are read
upwards. If we imagine ourselves to be looking at a stone on which the
alphabet is cut, we shall find it to be as follows. The angle of the stone
shall form the fleasg, or upright line, and we must commence at the
bottom.

One notch - - - - a

Two notches o

Three „ - - - - u

Four „ - - - e

Five „ - - - i

One line across the upright

line - - - - m

Two lines ,, - - g

One line on the right of the

upright line h

Two lines - - d

Three „ t

Four „ „ - - k

Five „ „ - - q

One line on the left of the

upright line „ - - b

Three ne Two lines - - 1

J.IHCC „ „ Ilg

Four „ „ - - st Three » „ - - f

Five „ „ - - r Four » •»•-'••

Five „ „ - - n

Prior to 1873 the sign for the letter B was not known, but in that year
this was discovered, a stone now at Tavistock affording the requisite
information. Dr. Ferguson of Dublin having taken a cast of this stone
was able to decipher it on his return home, and the sign for B was
ascertained without any doubt, as the stone bore the same inscription in
the Roman character as it did in the Ogham.

It will be noticed that no letter is represented by more than five lines ;
this has been considered as suggestive of these signs having had their
origin from such as could be readily made by the fingers.

D

34 The Ancient Stone Crosses

Fardle was the ancestral home of the Raleighs, though
Sir Walter himself was not born there, his father, either
before, or soon after his first marriage, having left it for
Hayes, in the parish of East Budleigh. Of the ancient house
much still remains, including a portion of the chapel. It is
now the property of Mr. J. D. Pode, of Slade, a charming
seat about a mile or so distant.

Leaving Fardle, and passing over Houndle, or Houndale,
Hill, we reach Moor Cross, where a road leads up on the right
to Hanger Down, a common on the high ground between the
valleys of the Erme and the Yealm. A visit to its breezy sum-
mit, where is a clump of trees, known as the Round Plantation,
will well repay the rambler, the view it commands being
extensive and of varied interest. At Moor Cross is an
entrance to Blachford, which domain is for some distance
skirted by the road we are now pursuing. Further on this
is carried over the Yealm, which here leaves the noble deer-
park, and pausing for a space upon the bridge, we may obtain
a view of its timbered slopes. A short walk up a gentle
ascent, with the park still stretching away on our right, and
we shall reach the village of Cornwood, or, as it is locally
called, Cross.

Whether a cross ever stood in this village, I have been
unable to learn. Its local name may, or may not, indicate
that such was the case, but apart from this there are con-
siderations that render it not unlikely. As already stated^
the road to Tavistock is here intersected by that running to
Plympton from Buckfast, and which crossing the Erme at
Harford Bridge, and leaving Blachford to the south, passes
through the village at which we have arrived. It is there-
fore, more than probable that at the point where two such
important roads crossed each other, a stone cross was once
to be seen.

But although at present such does not exist, it is satis-
factory to note that ere long this little village will have
another claim to its homely appellation. It has been
determined to erect a Latin cross in memory of Lord and
Lady Blachford, from a design of Mr. James Hine. It
is, to be of granite raised in the parish, and will prob-
ably be executed by a Cornwood man, under Mr. Hine's
supervision.

Of Dartmoor and its Borderland. 35

The church is Perpendicular in style with Early English
chancel, and is dedicated to St Michael. It is pleasingly
situated, at a short distance from the village, and the church-
yard contains a number of grave stones with interesting
epitaphs upon them. Built into the hedge by the roadside
about a furlong south of the lich-gate, are several pieces of carved
stone, the occurrence of which here may probably arouse the
curiosity of the antiquary. But the Highway Board con-
tractor is alone responsible for their present position. They
were taken from the windows of the church, when the edifice
was restored, and after lying for some time in the churchyard,
were removed and utilized in the building of the hedge.

Cornwood is but a small place, but picturesque in appear-
ance, and with surroundings possessing much interest. It
is overlooked by the fine frontier height of Pen Beacon, one of
the most prominent of the hills of Southern Dartmoor.

Within a short distance of the village is Hawns and
Dendles, a thickly wooded valley, running up into the
moor, down which the river Yealm flows over rocks and
boulders of granite. It is deservedly renowned, its sylvan
beauties constituting a powerful attraction for the visitor,
and even on the borders of the moor not many spots will be
found to surpass it. The name is certainly peculiar. Hawns
is said to have been derived from a Madame Hawns, who,
according to tradition, had a mansion somewhere in the
valley, but as this rests upon a very shadowy foundation,
little or no reliance can be placed upon the statement. Mr. J. D.
Pode states that title deeds in his possession show that for
more than a hundred years past the spelling of the name has
not varied (except that an e is sometimes placed before the s),
so that there seems to be little doubt that the present form
is correct, whatever its meaning may be. The derivation
of Dendles is a matter about which we can be more certain.
Mr. Pode looked through some title deeds with the late
Lord Blachford and found the name to be a corruption of
Daniels.

Resuming our way we shall proceed towards Piall Bridge
having on our left the grounds of Delamore, the seat of
Admiral Parker, and at one time the residence of Winthrop
Mackworth Praed, the poet. At a much earlier period the
mansion, together with the manor of Cornwood, belonged to

36 The Ancient Stone Crosses

the Bellmains, to members of which family there is a monu-
ment in the church.

About half a mile beyond Piall Bridge we shall cross
Quick's Bridge, and commence the ascent of the hill towards
Tolch Moor Gate, the road being on the verge of a common.
About midway we shall notice on our right hand a white gate,
opening upon a private lane that leads to Cholwich Town, an
ancient farmhouse, and the former seat of the Cholwich family.
A short distance within this is an old granite cross which was
first noticed several years ago by the Rev. W. C. Lukis in
company with Mr. J. D. Pode, and was serving, as it does at
present, as a gate post.

We shall find it to be a wayside cross of the rudest type,
and as the greater part of each arm has been knocked off in
order to adapt it to its meaner purpose, it might very well be
passed without its real nature being discovered. That it was
first put to its present use a long while since is evident, from
the point of fracture of one of the arms being worn quite
smooth.

There is little doubt that it originally stood by the side of
the track on the line of which the road we have been following
is now formed, and it is not unlikely that it was also intended
to point the way to a fording-place on the stream at present
crossed by Quick's Bridge.

The height of this cross is rather over five and a half feet,
and it is nearly four feet in girth immediately below the arms
or what remains of them. These are not quite opposite each
other, there having been apparently little care expended in the
fashioning of this ancient stone.

Cholwich Town farmhouse, which is about half a mile
from the cross, presents a good example of the old-time moro-
land mansion. Though most of the extensive outbuildings
have fallen to decay, being in great measure replaced by
modern ones, and the site only of the chapel can now be seen,
the dwelling itself remains much as it was in bygone days.
Its outside appearance is marred by its having been found
necessary to plaster the walls, but the old chambers with their
granite arched doorways and mullioned windows, the roomy
kitchen with its wide hearth, are still as of yore. Many years
have passed since any of the Cholwich family dwelt in this
" town place " under Pen Beacon, and but little is now

Of Dartmoor and its Borderland. 37

known of them. It is said, but we know not with what
truth, that its last representative died in prison.

Leaving Cholwich Town, we shall make our way to Tolch
Moor Gate at the summit of the hill, and thence descend to
the little bridge over the Torry near by. Crossing this we
proceed towards Lee Moor House, with the evidences of the
great china clay industry carried on in this part of the moor
immediately around us. Passing the house, and the en-
closures surrounding it, we shall shortly perceive another
relic of the days when the road we are pursuing was probably
little other than a green path, for beside the highway, on our
right, we find an old stone cross. Near at hand a path leads
across the common to the village of Shaugh, and we may not
unreasonably suppose that its situation here was chosen not
only for the purpose of marking the forerunner of the present
road, but also of indicating the point where this branch
diverged.

Rowe, in his Perambulation of Dartmoor, has a passing
notice of this cross, "the shaft of which," he says, " appears
to have been broken off, as there is only enough now left to
raise the cross slightly above the large block in which a
socket has been formed to receive it." Since this was written,.
however, it has been placed upon a shaft, and properly fixed
in the socket, and now stands erect. Through having been
misinformed, I was led to attribute this praiseworthy act to
a nobleman who we can well believe would have undertaken
it had the matter been brought to his notice. But I have
since found that the restoration of this cross was effected
by one with whom my father was many years ago associated
in religious work on this part of Dartmoor — Mr. Phillips,
formerly of Lee Moor. The stone now forming the shaft was
originally cut for a window-sill, which accounts for one of its
corners only being bevelled.

The cross is five feet ten inches in height, and two feet
across the arms ; the block in which the socket is cut is about
fourteen inches in thickness, and is circular in shape, its
diameter being about three and a half feet.

In my first notice of this cross I stated that it had been
suggested to me that the name by which it was known in the
neighbourhood — Roman's Cross — had become attached to it in
consequence of its being usually referred to as the Roman,

38 The Ancient Stone Crosses

cross, the term at length becoming a proper name. I
also said that it had occurred to me that this may
originally have been Rumon, one of the saints to whom the
Abbey of Tavistock was dedicated, and that pilgrims jour-
neying over this road to the abbey may have bestowed the
saint's name upon the cross. When I wrote this I had never
heard, or seen, such a derivation of the name suggested, nor
was I by any means convinced of its correctness. I find it
stated, however, in a paper read before the members of the
Plymouth Institution in 1889, six years after my account of
the cross first appeared, that " it has been suggested by
several," not only that it derived its name from St. Rumon,
but that it was once dedicated to him. I have not met with
such suggestions in the pages of any writer, and I now believe
the idea to be wrong.

Since the first appearance of my account of this cross I
have greatly extended my enquiries in its vicinity and have
spent much time on and around Lee Moor. I have there
found not only this cross, but others in the neighbourhood,
referred to constantly as the Roman, or Roman's cross, mean-
ing the Roman Catholic cross, and I am convinced that the
suggestion which traces the origin of the name to this
is correct and that it has nothing whatever to do with
the saint. All the older people on that side of the moor
speak of the cross as Blackaton Cross, and this is the name
that will now be found on the latest Ordnance Map. It takes
its name from a slight depression near by, where much
peat has been cut, and which is known to the moor people as
Blackaton Slaggets.

Mention must not be omitted of another object in the
neighbourhood bearing a name similar to that bestowed upon
the cross. This is an excavation known as the Roman Camp,
but which investigation has shown to be nothing of the kind.
Mr. J. Brooking Rowe's idea that it was a reservoir for water
nad is of comparatively modern construction, certainly com-
mends itself as being highly probable.

A tradition affirms that Blackaton Cross was erected to
mark the spot where St. Paul once preached, and we shall
probably not be sceptical regarding it when it is proved to our
satisfaction that St Paul ever set foot in Britain. In the
name of the stream which rises below Cholwich Town, the

Blackaton Cross,

Of Dartmoor and its Borderland. 39

Piall Brook, it is, perhaps, not unlikely that we see the origin
of the story of the saint's presence in the locality, such
being invariably called Pall by the moor people.

Many rude stone remains are to be found in the vicinity
of Blackaton Cross, but the spoliator has unfortunately been
at work among them. An upright stone will be seen on the
higher ground to the north-west. This is Emmett's Post, a
modern shaft, serving to mark the boundary between the
lands of Lord Morley and Sir Massey Lopes.

The view from Blackaton Cross embraces an extensive
range of the cultivated country to the south and south-west,
bounded by, the Channel; while to the north and north-east
are seen numerous hills with their granite crests. Brent Tor
is a conspicuous object far away to the northward, while the
rocky piles of Great and Little Trowlsworthy Tors rise near
at hand.

We pass onward and descend the hill to the Plym, where
at Cadaford Cridge, we shall find that our road, as already
stated is joined by another. This as we shall presently see
is formed on the line of an ancient track leading from Plymp-
ton to Tavistock, by way of Heavy and Sampford Spiney.
To the first named town we shall therefore make our way in
order that we may trace the road from its commencement
there, and thus shall again reach the banks of the Plym at
this point, but by another route.

40 The A ncient Stone Crosses

CHAPTER V.

The Via Grocis of the Augustine Canons.

Hemerdon Ball — Plympton St. Maurice — Plympton Castle — The Priory —
Church of Plympton St. Mary — Cross by the Torry — Browney
Cross — Base of Cross at Beatland Corner — Shaugh Cross — Shaugh
Church — The White Thorn — The Dewerstone — Cross near Shaden
Brake — Cross near Cadaford Bridge — Lynch Down — Marchants
Cross.

The road from Cornwood to Plympton, it is more than
probable, takes nearly the same route as the old track which
we have already referred to as running westward from Buck-
fast, and which we entered upon at Spurrell's Cross. It
again becomes our path, and will conduct us from Cornwood to
Lutton, whence we shall follow it through Sparkwell, a
hamlet in Plympton St. Mary parish, close to which are
Goodamoor and Beechwood, and a little to the west of it
Hemerdon, three seats delightfully placed in well-wooded
grounds. On our right, but hidden from view by the trees, rises
the eminence known as Hemerdon Ball, on the summit of
which is a plantation, forming a conspicuous object in the land-
scape for many miles round. The slopes of the hill, which is
at the extremity of a spur of the moor, are now cultivated.

Passing Hemerdon we descend West Park Hill, and
noticing the substantial farmhouse of Old Newnham near its
foot, and the lodge at the entrance to the modern residence,
shall soon after turn into a lane on the left. This will conduct
us to the higher part of Ridgway, whence a walk of a few
minutes will bring us to Plympton St. Maurice, otherwise
Plympton Earl.

Here near the south porch of the church is a very fine
cross, the ancient shaft of which has a not uninteresting
history. It owes its preservation to Mr. J. Brooking Rowe, a
painstaking and trustworthy antiquary, who has done a great
deal in the direction of furnishing us with historical accounts
of the religious foundations in the county, and who has indus-
triously collected much information relative to Plympton

Cross at Plympton St. Maurice.

Of Dartmoor and its Borderland. 41

history. In 1861 alterations were made to the old Guildhall,
when this shaft was found built into a wall separating the
court from the lock-up, or clink, and which it is supposed was
built in 1680. Mr. Rowe caused this interesting memorial of
old Plympton to be removed to the Churchyard, where it
was placed close to the tower, and there it remained until
the last year of the nineteenth century. That year saw its
restoration, and on the 2yth November the re-dedication of
the cross took place.

The shaft, in the top of which an iron dowell was fixed
and so firmly as to resist all attempts to remove it, was
upwards of nine feet high. On this a new head was placed
and the cross set upon a fine octagonal base of granite of three
steps, and three feet in height. The foot of the shaft is
square, but a short distance up the corners are chamfered, the
octagonal form thus produced, elegantly tapering. It will be
noticed that one of the chamfers has been broken away and
the surface smoothed. This, it is supposed, was done when it
was built into the wall, of which it formed part of the face.
Mr. Rowe conjectures it to have been the market cross, and
its approximate date to be 1380.

The restoration of the Plympton Cross has been most
satisfactorily carried out, a great deal of care and thought
having been bestowed upon it. It is striking in appearance,
and all who take an interest in the preservation of our antiqui-
ties will be gratified at seeing in this ancient market town
an object so much in keeping with the surroundings.

At the re-dedication service there were appropriate
prayers and hymns, and an address was delivered by the
Bishop of Crediton.

The Church is dedicated to St. Thomas of Canterbury,
but is more commonly known as St. Maurice, from the
chantry chapel in the south aisle, founded by John Brackley,
towards the close of the fourteenth century. The second
name of the place — Plympton Earl — is derived from the
ancient Earls of Devon, who were formerly its lords.

Plympton as one of the four stannary town of Devon, and
as an old borough once returning members to Parliament,
is interesting, while the remains of the Norman castle and
the many ancient buildings in the town render it doubly so.
The castle was built by Richard de Redvers, upon whom

42 The Ancient Stone Crosses

Henry I. bestowed the barony of Plympton, and also created
him Earl of Devon, and it was long the seat of the family.
Baldwin, the second earl, took up arms against Stephen, and
while defending the city of Exeter, it is stated that those who
were holding Plympton Castle, surrendered to the king.
Baldwin was banished, but afterwards returning, was re-
instated. During the civil war Prince Maurice, while beseig-
ing the town of Plymouth, made the castle his headquarters.
Little more than a portion of the keep, upon a mound, now
remains, but viewed from the entrance to the churchyard, it is
a picturesque object, the huge fragments of massive wall
being partially covered with ivy. The quaint old topographer
Leland refers to it as " a faire large castelle and dungeon,
whereof the waulles yet stonde, but the logginges within be
decayed." On the castle mound some years since was found
a bronze coin of Ferdinandus II., Grand Duke of Etruria,
whose son Cosmo III. landed at Plymouth, in April 1669,
and made a tour of some months through England. A build-
ing worthy of notice is the Grammar School, built in 1664,
Elize Hele, of Fardle, having left a sum of money for
its foundation. The father of the celebrated Sir Joshua
Reynolds was master of the school, and his son received
some portion of his education here. Here, too, some ninety
years later, in the first decade of the nineteenth century, was
educated the Rev. Samuel Rowe, the author of the Perambula-
tion of Dartmoor, a work involving a deal of research and evinc-
ing the great love he bore for that " wild and wondrous region."

Plympton House, a fine mansion of the time of Queen
Anne, is now used as a private lunatic asylum.

The guildhall is a quaint building with an old-time air
about it ; its front projects over the pavement and is sup-
ported upon arches.

The old Maudlin House is frequently referred to in the
parish registers, one of the entries being as follows :

" 1618 May 24 was buryed Charles Ffysher wch dyed within the pishe
of Plympton Erell in the house over right against the Maudling house."

Another entry sets forth that on the 2oth May 1613,
" Was buryed a walking woman wch dyed in a ffeeld between Plimp-
ton Marie and Cornvvood."

This event had a sad parallel in 1891, when a poor woman
lost her life near Sparkwell, in the blizzard of March of that

Of Dartmoor and its Borderland. 43

year. She was found lying in the snow, only a few yards
from her door.

We cannot leave the town of Plympton without a feeling
of regret, its old-world appearance and associations so im-
pressing us that we hesitate to break the spell which a long
lingering by its venerable buildings casts upon us.

The parish of Plympton St. Mary adjoins, and towards
its church, which is very near, we now bend our steps. On
entering the churchyard we shall observe a modern cross, at
the western end of the building. This is a memorial to the
Rev. Merton Smith, a former vicar of the parish, who lost his
life in 1883, in the Pyrenees. The cross is of fine propor-
tions, and stands upon a handsomely worked base, on a
pedestal consisting of five steps, and octagonal in shape. It
is a good example of the modern sculptor's art.

The church is large, and contains several monuments. Its
style is a mixture of Decorated and Perpendicular, and in
addition to the two side aisles, there are two exterior aisles.
The groining in the roof of the south porch will not fail to
arrest the attention of the visitor upon entering.

The legend so frequently attached to ecclesiastical build-
ings, of the arch enemy of man having removed the stones
from the site on which it was originally intended to erect the
edifice is related of this church, which the tradition states
would not have been placed in so low a situation but for this.

In a little work by the Rev. W. I. Coppard, vicar of the
parish, entitled Cottage Scenes during the Cholera, we read that
at a vestry meeting held on the I3th January, 1833, tne year
after the visitation of the cholera, it was resolved :

" That a small stone, in the shape of a cross, with the date 1832
engraved upon it, be placed as a memorial at the head of all the graves of
persons who had died of the awful disease of cholera."

A priory of Augustine Canons formerly existed at Plymp-
ton, founded by Bishop Warlewast, who in 1121 suppressed a
College of the Benedictine order, that had been founded here
by one of the Saxon kings. Baldwin de Redvers of the
castle endowed it, and it became one of the wealthiest
foundations in the county, its revenue being even greater
than that of the rich abbey of Tavistock.

Among the possessions of the priory were the manors of
Shaugh, Meavy, and Sampford Spiney, and the monks' road

44

The Ancient Stone Crosses.

to those places, as we shall shortly see, was marked by a line
of crosses. It runs over the moor and extends to Tavistock,
and though not the most direct route from Plympton to that
town, we can readily understand, as it passed through the
abbey manors, was the one generally used by the brothers of
the priory when they desired to visit the great Benedictine
house on the Tavy. The monks of the latter probably also
often used it when journeying to Plympton or to their manor
of Plymstock ; indeed, there is every probability that in early
times it was a much frequented track.

With the object of examining the crosses on it, it will be
necessary that we trace the road to Tavistock, but for the
present we shall follow it only to the village of Heavy. We
therefore, leave the church of St. Mary and make our way up
the right bank of the Torry, a stream rising on the moor
under Pen Beacon, and which we crossed near its source,
when on our way to Lee Moor.

At Plympton it is spanned by two bridges, one near the
church we have just been noticing, and the other a short
distance further up. A few yards below the latter, and in
the bed of the little river, but quite close to its left bank is
the shaft of a cross fixed into a socket-stone. The former is
almost covered with vegetation, and were it not that the
outer side of the square block of granite in which the socket
is cut has escaped being overgrown through the water
constantly washing it, the whole would be undiscernible.
This stone, and even the shaft of the cross itself, is partly
built into a garden wall that abuts on the river. The head
and arms of the cross are gone. The shaft is very similar in
shape to that of the Plympton St. Maurice Cross, though it is
not of so great a height, but it is probable that a portion of it
has been broken off. It is five feet three inches high, and at
the bottom where it fits into the socket is square. The
corners are, however, chamfered almost close down to the
stone, so that it is really octagonal, the sides of this figure
measuring five and a half inches each. The socket-stone has
been carefully worked. It is twenty-one inches high and four
feet long, but being built into the wall its exact breadth
cannot be seen ; its upper edges are bevelled.

The situation of this cross on the very verge of a stream
would seem to point to its having marked a fording-place

Of Dartmoor and its Borderland. 45

leading directly to the priory, the ancient bridge, if there
was one here, probably occupying a different site from the
present structure near by. But however this may be, it is
certain that the old track we are about to follow started from
this point, or very near it.

Leaving the Torry we take the road that passes through
Colebrook, which place is close by. Here we shall notice a
school and chapel belonging to the Methodist Free Church,
the memorial stones of which, as the inscriptions on them
testify, were laid by Mrs. Joseph Crossing, of Plymouth, that
of the former in 1866, and the other in 1868. Our road turns
up on the left, and soon after leaving the village we shall
reach a spot where the lane branches. We pursue the one
on the right, the left leading to Boringdon, the former seat of
the Parker family, the present Earls of Morley ; it is now
used as a farm-house, and is a fine building, occupying a com-
manding situation. A little further on we obtain glimpses of
Newnham and Elfordleigh, both surrounded by beautifully
wooded grounds, and crossing the valley in which the latter
stands, shall skirt Boringdon Wood. On reaching the top of
the hill we perceive we are nearing the moor, several hills
lying immediately before us, prominent among which we soon
discover the crest of the Dewerstone Hill, near Shaugh. On
our left, though not visible from the road, is Castle Ring,
sometimes called Boringdon Camp, an ancient enclosure of
about four acres in extent, and having traces of a ditch on the
outside of the rampart.

Near an old granite post by the roadside we again com-
mence to descend, and soon cross the tram-road that runs
from below the Laira Bridge to the clay works on Lee Moor,
and then having mounted a gentle ascent, shall reach the first
of the objects of which we are in search.

This is Browney Cross, and in the old days when the way-
farer passed over this road it not only assured him that he was
pursuing the right path to Tavistock or Shaugh, but also indi-
cated where he was to turn off should he desire to go to Bick-
leigh. Now, a modern finger-post has taken its place, and the
old cross has disappeared. All that remains to mark its site is
the socket-stone in which it was fixed, and a ruined founda-
tion. This stone is in the centre of a large, open space,
covered with turf, and is now somewhat weathered. It is

46 The Ancient Stone Crosses

octagonal in shape, and measures four feet across the centre,
and is over a foot thick. The socket that received the shaft is
not quite square, being fifteen inches by thirteen, and about
nine inches deep. The stone lies on a mound, and originally
stood upon an elevated octagon, as is shown by four large
stones close to it. These have been roughly hewn into shape,
and it would seem that there must originally have been eight
of them, forming a foundation of about eight feet across, so-
that there would be a step of about two feet in width around
the socket stone. The latter has evidently not been moved
away from its place, although the despoilers of this interesting
memorial have partly raised it from its bed.

Not very far off to the E.N.E. is Collard Tor, and Pen
Beacon with Shell Top rising behind it are also prominent
objects in the view. In the opposite direction the eye rests
upon the woods of Mount Edgcumbe, and looking nearly
north-west, the pinnacles or Bickleigh church tower can be
seen, peeping over the hill two miles away. Bickleigh is not
strictly speaking a Dartmoor parish, that is to say, no part of
it lies upon the moor, but it is nevertheless in the Dartmoor
country, and it will be necessary for us to visit it, as there is a
very fine cross in the village. But this we shall do later on,
when we come to examine another group of crosses, and for
that purpose shall return to this ancient way-mark. At
present we leave it and pass up the lane to Niel Gate.

Here we enter upon the moor, which the road skirts for
some distance. But we shall not now pursue it very far, for
upon reaching the further corner of a plantation, and within a
quarter of a mile of the gate, we shall find that a road
diverges to Shaugh, and we shall turn a little from our way
in order to visit that village. The point we have reached
is known as Beatland Corner — usually called Binlin's Corner —
and here formerly stood another of the crosses marking the
tract we have been following from Plympton, and also indicat-
ing the point at Avhich the wayfarer should leave it, if journey-
ing to Shaugh. Now, all that is to be seen is the base, or
stone in which the shaft was fixed. It stands on the verge of
the common, close by the road, and is very nearly two feet
square. The socket, which is not now quite intact, the edge of
the stone being broken, is very large, being fifteen inches by
twelve, and is seven inches deep. There is no trace of the

Shaugh Cross,

Of Dartmoor and its Borderland. 4.7

cross near it, but one that we shall presently notice possesses
a shaft that would have fitted this socket. As, however, the
stone is over three-quarters of a mile distant, it may perhaps
not be considered very probable, that it ever belonged to this
base. We shall refer to this again when we come to
examine it.

A walk of about half a mile will bring us to Shaugh,
immediately on entering which we shall see, close to the gate,
of the new vicarage, and some short distance to the east of
the church, a very good specimen of a cross. It stands in
the hedge, being fixed in a socket-stone some three and a.
half feet wide, and eight or nine inches thick, and is
somewhat out of the perpendicular. One of the arms is
slightly fractured, but otherwise this old cross is in a
very fair state of preservation. It is about five and a
half feet high, the shaft having a width of one foot, but
it is not quite square, being a little less than that in thick-
ness. The arms measure two feet across, and are about ten
inches deep. The corners have been chamfered, but owing
to the wearing of the granite this is not immediately dis-
cernible, except at the arms. This old cross is a pleasing
object, its rude fashioning harmonizing well with its
surroundings, where everything speaks to us of the moor.
Here is the substantially built church, that has so long with-
stood the fury of the blasts that often sweep down upon it from
the rock-crowned hill behind ; and here the little cottages,
reared near the rugged slope, with glimpses between them of
grey rocks and patches of fern and gorse.

In Shaugh Church, which dates back to the time of
Henry VI. , is a very beautiful font cover. This, it ap-
pears, had been removed from the church while it was
undergoing restoration in 1868 and 1869, and placed in
a loft at a neighbouring farm. The Rev. Prebendary
Bartholomew having called attention in 1878 to the fact of
its existence, the Rev. J. B. Strother, at that time vicar of the
parish, made enquiries, and discovered it. It was in a
damaged state, and has been most carefully restored. It is of
oak, and between eight and nine feet in height, and octagonal
in plan. The sides of the two lower stages are perpendicular,
but the upper one is of a spiral form. It is surmounted by
the figure of a mitred bishop.

48 The Ancient Stone Crosses

Opposite the church is the village inn, the White Thorn,
where formerly was to be seen a peat fire that had not been
extinguished for a great number of years. I remember the
landlord telling me in 1873, that he had then been living there
over twenty years, and that he had kept it burning during that
time, and his predecessor had told him that for a similar
period he also had not suffered it to go out.

A road leads from the village down the steep side of the
common to Shaugh Bridge, the romantic surroundings of
which have earned for it a more than local fame. Its neigh-
bourhood was a favourite resort of the poet Carrington, who
in some charming lines has pictured it at the close of a
beautiful summer day.

Retracing our steps, or, if we choose, taking an alternative
route from the village, we regain the road, and resume our
walk, with the enclosed country on the left. On nearing a
grove of trees we shall observe, reared against the hedge of
Shaden Brake, what appears to be a short cross, but which is
really the upper portion of a large one. For years it lay on
the ground, and formed the bottom stone of a stile formerly at
this place. It is of very rude workmanship, and measures
three feet from the top of the head to where the shaft is frac-
tured, but there are probably some three or four feet of the
latter missing. It is twenty-two inches across the arms,
which spring some four inches from the shaft, and one of these
is broken. It is this cross that I suggest may have belonged
to the base we examined at Beatland Corner. The shaft would
just fit the socket, it being nearly fifteen inches wide, and
about nine inches thick. It is true that some little distance
now separates them, but there are instances of crosses on the
moor, and on its borders, having been removed even further
from their original position ; the cross at Sheepstor is an
instance, and another is afforded by a cross on Terhill, in
the south quarter of the forest. The measurements seem to lend
colour to the supposition, as also does the style of workman-
ship, the cross and the socket-stone both being of a rude type.

Shortly after passing the cross we commence the descent
towards the Plym, on reaching which we meet the road we
have already traced from Ivybridge and Cornwood.

We shall cross the stream by the bridge, about the true
name of which there seems to be some uncertainty. Cadaford

Of Dartmoor and its Borderland. 49

is the usually accepted form now, though it is frequently
called Cadover, which is merely a corruption of the former.
The farm near by is called Cadworthy, and the bridge, with-
out doubt, is named after the settlement, or " weorthig," that
preceded the present homestead. More than six hundred years
ago there was a bridge here, probably a clapper, as is proved
by an ancient deed, to which we shall have occasion later on
to refer. Several places and objects in this part of the moor
are mentioned in it, and among them the " ponte de Cada-
worthy." It is easy to see how this would become corrupted
to the present form of the name.

Making our way up the slope of Wigford Down, to the
left of the road and in a north-westerly direction, we shall find
near the hedge a portion of what must have been an exceedingly
fine cross. It was discovered lying near here by the soldiers
encamped in the vicinity, during the Autumn Manoeuvres in
1873, and was set up by them at the request of the Rev.
G. R. Scobell, then vicar of Shaugh. It was placed on the
centre of a small grassy mound, rather more than nine feet in
diameter, and surrounded by a little trench. The greater
part of the shaft is gone, but the portion now remaining
measures from the surface of the ground to the top about
two and a half feet, and across the arms it is two feet five
inches. The width of the shaft below the arms is thirteen
inches, and from the upper surface of the arms to the top
of the shaft it is exactly twelve inches. The shaft tapers
from the arms upward ; below them it appears to have had
its sides parallel.

On one face of this cross there is a fracture, a piece being
split off from it, but its other is uninjured. Here are three
incised crosses ; one on each arm, and the third, a little larger
than the others, in the centre, exactly where the arms intersect
the shaft. There are faint traces of what seem to be incised
crosses on the fractured side, but they cannot be determined
as such with certainty.

The last time I saw this cross, in 1901, it had been
thrown down. This was probably done by cattle rubbing
against it, and unless it is provided with a socket stone it will
not be easy to guard against its overthrow.

While this cross served to mark the track to Tavistock
from Plympton and from Cornwood, it also pointed out the

50 The Ancient Stone Crosses

direction of another, which, diverging from the main path,
was carried over Wigford Down.

The surroundings are of a very pleasing character. The
Plym, sometimes called in this part of its course the Cad,
flows at a short distance from us, on its way to mingle its
waters with the Mew, at the foot of the romantic Dewerstone,
from thence rolling onward —

" Thro' arching bridges, moss'd by hoary time,
Or, hung with clustering verdure, thro' rich meads,
Till flowing on thro' SALTRAM'S towery groves,
It pours its tribute to the restless sea."*

Trowlsworthy Warren house, with numerous enclosures
near it, is seen on the hillside : a few tors lift their rugged
crests above the slopes, while Pen Beacon and its companion
height of Shell Top rise above the whole, and a true picture
of Dartmoor border scenery is presented.

Turning our back reluctantly upon this attractive scene we
regain the road, which we shall follow to Lynch Down, along
the verge of which we shall make our way to Lynch Hill.
The road here winds down this steep hill to the Mew, and
at the foot of it, on the very edge of the common, we shall
be pleased at discovering a remarkably fine cross.

In the vicinity it is known as Marchants, or Merchants
Cross, but, as I shall presently show, it is more than probable
that it once bore another name. It is the tallest of the ancient
crosses of the moor, being no less than eight feet two inches in
height. It measures across the arms two feet three inches,
and they are fourteen inches in depth. From the bottom of
the shaft to their under surface the distance is five feet ten
inches. Fourteen inches is the width of the shaft at its widest
part, but in some places it is not quite thirteen. Just below
the arms the shaft is ten inches in thickness, but lower down
is two inches less than this.

On each face there is an incised cross in the centre
of the shaft, where it is intersected by the arms. They are
both of one size, and measure two feet four inches in height,
and nearly fourteen inches across, being about one inch
broad.

*Howard's Bicklcigli Vale, p. 33.

Of Dartmoor and its Borderland. 51

From the under corner of one arm a small piece has been
broken off, but otherwise the cross is in a fine state of preserva-
tion. In proportion to its height, the arms are rather short,
projecting but seven inches on each side of the shaft, while
the head rises fourteen inches above them. It leans a
little towards the east, and stands on a small patch of
greensward on the right of the road in descending the hill;
two lofty trees, an oak and an ash, spread their foliage
above it. An upland road here branches off to Sheepstor,
which is about two miles distant.

There is a tradition that this cross marks the grave of a
suicide ; but while it is possible that a burial may have taken
place near it, it is yet probable that its primary purpose was
to point out to those journeying over the road by which we
have reached it, the ford over the river below. There is also
evidence which seems to show that it marked a boundary. It
was set up with one or both of these objects; 'but the pious
hands which erected it had another — that of bringing forcibly
before the minds of those who passed this way, the religion
of which it was emblematical. Indeed tradition now relates
that the wayfarer used, before setting out over the waste, to
kneel before this cross and pray for protection on his journey.

A charming bit of scenery is presented from Marchants
Cross. We have lost sight of the more extensive prospect
observable from the top of Lynch Hill, but we have gained a
near view of a beautifully wooded little valley. Yennadota
forms a barrier to the north, with a fine plantation of firs
stretching part way up its slope.* To the north-east the
thick foliage of Burrator Wood clothes the side of the valley,
and trees also cover the bottom, hiding the stream which
courses along it, while towards the east are pasture fields
adjoining the common, which stretches around to the point
where we stand, and rises high behind us. The granite peak
of Leather Tor is seen peeping over the trees at the head of
the valley, forming a striking contrast to the softer features in
the foreground.

* This common is generally known as Yennadon (or Yannadon) Down,
but the addition of the latter word is, without doubt, a duplication. The
moormen when speaking of the tors and other objects on the moor, often
say Hentor Tor (Hen Tor), Ingator Tor (Inga Tor), Lakehead Head
(Lake Head), Hameldon Down (Hameldon), and so on.

52 The Ancient Stone Crosses

CHAPTER VI.
The Crosses of Meavy.

The Meavy Oak — A Missing Village Cross — Its Discovery and Restora-
tion— Meavy Church — Cross in Wall of Transept — Tomb of Lady
Seccombe — Tomb of Walter Mattacott— Gratton— Chapel of St.
Matthew — Greenwell Down — Greenwell Girt — Base of a Wayside
Cross— Urales— Wi "ford Down— An Old Path.

Having followed the Monk's road from Plympton to the
Mew, and noticed the crosses by which it was marked, we
shall leave it for the present in order to visit Meavy, which,
was one of the possessions of Plympton Priory.

From the cross at the foot of Lynch Hill we proceed to
Marchants Bridge near at hand, beneath which flows the
Mew as it emerges from its leafy screen, and crossing it shall
make our way by a lane to the little village.

Here, a most pleasing picture meets our view. An open
green, with a noble old oak, whose boughs, as though to
protect it, are flung over an ancient granite cross, reared
almost close to its trunk ; and quite near to both, the gate
of that sacred spot where

" The rude forefathers of the hamlet sleep."

The trunk of the tree is hollow, and in a note to Carrington's
poem of Dartmoor, published in 1826, it is stated on the
authority of the hostess of the village inn, that nine persons
once dined in the cavity. Though it is now but a mere shell,
yet the branches put forth their leaves in due season, and it is
to be hoped that the day is far distant when the shadow of
" Meavy's venerable oak " shall cease to fall across the village
green.

For more than a hundred years the Meavy cross was
missing from its place beneath the tree. Whither it had dis-
appeared no man knew, but the base and pedestal told where
it once had been. That it would ever be discovered and set
up in its old place was imagined by none ; but that this was at
length the case, all who are interested in the preservation of
our antiquities will rejoice to learn.

Of Dartmoor and its Borderland. 53

To a former rector, the Rev. W. A. G. Gray, do we owe
this, for it was his kindly hand that rescued the cross from
the ignoble position whence it had been banished, and restored
it to its rightful place. About the year 1882 he found it, or
rather the shaft, for the head and arms had been broken off,
in one of the glebe fields, where it was serving as a gate-post.
But its true character was easy recognizable, and causing a
fresh tenon to be cut so that it might fit into the socket of the
base upon the green, it was once more erected under the
sheltering boughs of the ancient oak. Like the pedestal it is
octagonal, and of a beautiful tapering form. The oldest man
in the parish, who was then about ninety years of age, and
who possessed a remarkably clear recollection of all parish
matters, had been unable to give any information respecting
its whereabouts, nor had he ever heard his father speak of it.
It is therefore nearly certain that more than a century had
elapsed since the time this cross was removed from its pedestal,
and the probability is that the period was much longer.
When found there were six holes in it, one being filled with
lead, in which some gate fastenings had evidently been fixed,
and the disposition of these showed that the stone had been
made use of as a gate-post in more than one position.

For a considerable time the pedestal upon which the base
of the cross stood, consisted of two steps only, formed by
eleven blocks of hewn granite, there being six in the lower
one, and five in the upper. The sides of the octagon were not
equal, varying from about twenty-eight inches to forty-five in
the lower step, and it was evident that the stones had been
moved from their proper positions, The lower stage was
about nine feet in diameter, and about fifteen or sixteen inches
high. On the upper stage was placed the octagonal base,
which is twenty-two inches high, and sloping at the top.
The shaft of the cross was five and a half feet high, and at its
foot was just over four feet in girth.

When, in 1895, the complete restoration of the cross was
decided upon it was discovered that there were other stones in
existence similar in form to those composing the calvary on
the green. Investigation showed that they had certainly
belonged to it, and that originally it had consisted of three
steps. These were brought back to their old place, and the
pedestal was re-set, very little new work requiring to be

54 The Ancient Stone Crosses

introduced. A new head was made for the shaft by a stone-
mason of Walkhampton, and the restoration was complete.
Antiquaries will feel grateful to Mr. Gray for this good work,
as indeed will all to whom the sight in our villages of these
memorials of the years that are flown is a source of pleasure.

Entering the churchyard, we shall notice that there is a
small granite cross over the porch, and one also on the roof
of the aisle, and another over the transept. Immediately
above the window of the latter is a niche in the wall,
reaching to its apex, in which is a slab bearing upon it a
cross in relief. The church is of the fifteenth century, but
portions of it remain which are of earlier date, the north
pillar of the chancel-arch exhibiting traces of Norman carving.

In a corner of the churchyard is a monument erected over
the grave of Lady Seccombe, of Walreddon, who died in 1884,
consisting of a beautiful white marble cross and pedestal ; and
nearer to the lich-gate is a squared granite block on which
an inscription is cut in relief. This marks the grave of one
Walter Mattacot, and the letters on the stone tells us that he
died in 1657.

In the courtyard of Gratton Farm, in this parish, there
was formerly a stone with an incised cross. This probably
belonged to the old manor house there, though if it could be
proved that the chapel of St. Matthew, licensed in 1433, the
site of which is now unknown, stood anywhere near, we might
be right in supposing it to be a relic of that building.

Reluctantly leaving Meavy, with its Elizabethan manor-
house, its time-worn cross, its granite tower and pleasant
green, and its venerable oak, which tradition tells us was stand-
ing prior to the time when its lands were held by Judhael the
Norman, we pass on our way to the extensive commons
occupying the southern portion of the parish. The road at
the western end of the village will lead us to a picturesque old
bridge of one arch thrown across the Mew, whence by a true
Devonshire lane we shortly reach a cross-road, and turning
up the hill, shall enter upon Calisham Down.

Following the path that skirts this down, and passing
through a gate we soon find ourselves on another common.
This is Greenwell Down, across which we shall make our
way, keeping close to the enclosures on our left, and shall
strike a branch of the road that we have just forsaken, where

Of Dartmoor and its Borderland. 55

it crosses an old working of the tin-miners, known as Green-
well Girt. Its sides are so overgrown with heather and fern
that it would almost appear to one unaccustomed to viewing
the remains of the old tinners' operations to be a naturally
formed combe. It acts as a dividing line between Greenwell
Down and Wigford Down, and can be traced for a consider-
able distance. It is carried down the hill towards Hooe
Meavy, the lower part being planted with trees, forming a
delightful avenue, and now known as Shady Combe.

Crossing this extensive working, we shall observe on a
bank, close by the way, a stone that once supported a cross.
In shape it is octagonal, but it is rather rudely cut. Four
of its sides are perpendicular, the others slightly sloping.
It is three feet across, and its greatest thickness is sixteen
inches. This can be seen, as the low bank has slipped from
beneath a part of it, so that it overhangs the side of the road,
above which it is raised some four feet. The socket is five
inches deep, and is very nearly square, being eleven and a
half inches by ten and a half. As there is a hedge on the
other side of the road that encloses some cultivated land, it is
not unlikely that the cross which was once fixed on this old
base was removed from its position to do duty as a gate-post.

Proceeding for a short distance we shall notice a rough
track on our right, and striking into this shall cross the
common in a south-westerly direction and so regain the road
by which we entered on the down. This we shall follow until
nearly reaching the gate that leads off the moor to Goodameavy.
Here, by the roadside and opposite the gate of Urgles Farm,
is the base of a cross. It is a large flat stone, about a foot
thick, not exactly circular, its edge in one place being broken,
which gives it something of a kidney shape. Its greatest
diameter is five feet. The socket that received the shaft is
not quite in the centre. It measures eleven inches by nine,
and is very shallow, being only a little over four inches in
depth. There is no trace of the cross, nor have I been able to
learn that anyone has ever seen it.

In the preceding chapter we referred to a track over Wig-
ford Down. This exists in the form of a green path, and may
be followed from the cross near Cadaford Bridge to Urgles.
Whatever the original purpose of the cross at the latter place
may have been, it seems certain that one of its uses at all

56 The Ancient Stone Crosses

events was to indicate the direction of this path, and to point
to the ford, or bridge, at Goodameavy, in the valley below.
The road leads to Roborough Down and Buckland Abbey,
and like the one we have traced from Plympton Priory, was
doubtless often traversed by the monks in the days —

" Ere yet, in scorn of Peter's-pence,

And number'd bead and shrift,
Bluff Harry broke into the spence
And turn'd the cowls adrift."

In our progress across Wigford Down we shall have been
gratified with the varied and extensive view that is com-
manded from it. The whole of the western fringe of the
southern portion of Devon, extending from Plympton to
Brent Tor is visible, backed by a wide range embracing the
principal hills of East Cornwall. In the other direction a fine
sweep of moor is presented, with many a noble tor uplifting
its granite head, and looking down grimly on the smiling
border valleys.

Of Dartmoor and its Borderland. 57

CHAPTER VII.
Crosses on the Lands of Amicia, Countess of Devon.

Bickleigh Vale — Maynstone Cross — Woolwell Cross — Bickleigh Cross —
The Church — Socket Stone — Copris Cross — Buckland Abbey — Buck-
land Monachorum Cross — Shaft of Cross on Crapstone Farm —
Horrabridge — Smalacumbe Cross — Sheepstor Cross — A Moorland
Church — An Ancient Church House — The Pixies' Cave — The Path
of the Monks.

In the lower valley of the Tavy, where the ground slopes
gently to the river beneath the hanging woods, there rose in
the later years of the thirteenth century a stately pile of build-
ings. When the workmen had completed their task, and the
sounds of their tools were no longer heard, those whose
future home it was to be, a colony of Cistercian monks, took
up their abode there, and for the first time the hymn of praise
resounded within the walls of Buckland Abbey.

This house was founded by Amicia, Countess of Baldwin
de Redvers, Earl of Devon, who endowed it with certain
lands, including three manors in the neighbourhood — Buck-
land, Bickleigh and Walkhampton. The foundation deed
was signed by Amicia in the eighth of Edward I. (1280), and
eleven years later the gift was confirmed by her daughter,
Isabella de Fortibus, by charter. In these instruments the
bounds of the lands bestowed upon the abbey are set forth,
and among the various objects by which they were defined
are named six crosses. These are given as Crucem Siwardi,
Smalacumbacrosse, Yanedonecrosse, Maynstoncrossa, Crucem
de Wolewille and Copriscrosse. The first will claim our
attention when we come to describe the crosses on the
Abbot's Way ; for the present we shall confine our remarks
to the others, noticing at the same time those which still exist
within the boundaries of the manors of the countess.

We shall therefore now return to Browney Cross, which
we may best do from Urgles by following the green path to
Cadaford Bridge, and retracing our steps over the Plympton
road. Arrived at the cross we turn into the lane leading to

5§ The Ancient Stone Crosses

Bickleigh, and passing Lower Whiteyborough, where is a
cottage and a smithy, shall gain the crest of the next hill and
thence descend to Bickleigh Bridge.

Close to this is the entrance to Bickleigh Vale, the charms
of which have been sung by Nathaniel Howard, sometime
schoolmaster at Tamerton Foliot, and a happy wooer of the
muse. Near the lower end of the vale, and above the right
bank of the river, is Mainstone Wood, the name of which
favours the supposition that in, or near it, the boundary cross
of the Countess Amicia bearing that name formerly stood.

But this cannot be determined with certainty. Indeed, it
would appear from the foundation deed that this cross should
be looked for to the east of the river, rather than on its
western side. That it existed somewhere in this locality we
may be sure, but many of the names on the deed cannot be
positively identified, so that it becomes impossible to deter-
mine its exact situation.

The name would seem to indicate that the cross
replaced an ancient menhir (maen-stone], or that it was
simply incised upon the monolith, or rudely fashioned out
of it.

With regard to the next cross mentioned on the deed, we
can locate it with a greater degree of certainty. The boundary
is drawn from Horyngbrok to the Plym "et ad Willebroke et ad
crucem deWTolewille." so that the river, and the brook separating
the parishes of Bickleigh and Egg Buckland, and which rises
not far from the farm of Woolwell, are clearly set forth. We
are therefore able to fix the site of the cross near this farm,
and that it was on the present Tavistock road is more
than probable, since not only is that the situation in which it
would be likely to be placed, but the words of the deed also
lead us to suppose it. There the boundary is conterminous
with the road as at present, and is drawn from Woolwell to
Copriscrosse. The latter we shall presently notice.

As an endeavour to discover Maynstone Cross, or the one
formerly at Woolwell, would only end in disappointment, we
shall resume our walk to Bickleigh, and having mounted the
steep hill leading from the bridge, shall shortly reach -the
village, where on the green and within a few yards of the
churchyard gate, we shall find, if not one of the objects of our
quest, one that will at least interest us.

Of Dartmoor and its Borderland. 59

Bickleigh Cross is in appearance striking, being well
placed, and mounted on a calvary, consisting of two
steps. The lower one is a square of six feet, formed
by four granite stones, each constituting a side. The upper
step is constructed somewhat differently, the stones, of which
there are three only, being laid side by side. Its surface
is about two-and-a-half feet from the ground, and on this
rests the socket-stone, which is twenty-five inches square at
the bottom. This has a plinth nine inches in height, the
portion of the stone above being hollowed out to within a few
inches of the top, the upper edge being bevelled ; the surface
in which the socket to receive the cross is cut, is thus
reduced to a square of fifteen inches. All this, however, as
well as the shaft of the cross itself, is of comparatively modern
date compared to the head, which it is plainly to be seen is of
some considerable antiquity, and it is a matter for congratula-
tion that so much care has been taken to preserve this
memorial of the old days. The shaft is thirteen inches square
at the bottom, and of tapering form. It is nearly six feet
high, and around the top is a fillet. The head which has
been carefully fixed, rises twenty-eight inches above this fillet,
and in addition to having been broken off from its original
shaft, it has also sustained other injuries. Remains of much
ornamentation in the angles of this cross, prove it to have
been a very handsome one. The arms and top of the head
are octagonal in shape.

Bickleigh Church was re-built in 1838, by Sir Ralph Lopes,
of Maristowe, the patron of the living. In the old edifice was
a monument to the memory of Nicholas Slanning, who was
killed in a duel with John (afterwards Sir John) Fitz, in 1599.
Portions of this monument, which was in a very dilapidated
condition, were preserved at the time the church was rebuilt,
but previous to its demolition a drawing of it, with a copy of
the inscriptions it bore, was made by the Rev. W. I. Coppard,
of Plympton.

The tower is ancient, and is surmounted by large crocketted
pinnacles, and possesses a corner turret.

From Bickleigh we shall take the road which leads into
the Plymouth and Tavistock highway, just before reaching
which, and not far from Roborough village, we shall notice
an object in the bank, on our left, which will detain us for

60 The Ancient Stone Crosses

a brief space. It has the appearance of a socket stone of a
cross and may indeed be such. It is about three feet square,
but in place of the ordinary socket of a few inches deep, the
centre is pierced entirely through. This of itself, though
certainly unusual, would not be a sufficient reason for ques-
tioning its character, but there are other circumstances that
afford some grounds for doing so.

As we shall shortly see, there are two other stones a few
miles distant, precisely similar, and situated, if not so near as
is this, yet not very far from the old disused Dartmoor tramway,
and it has occurred to me that they may have been brought
by means of it to the localities where we now see them, and
instead of being socket-stones of crosses, may be something
much more modern and prosaic. That a number of large
stones were on one occasion brought en the waggons and
unloaded at this very spot, we are old enough to remember.
It was for the purpose of throwing a barricade across the
road, then recently constructed, and relative to which there
was a dispute.

Against this we have to set the fact that not only is this
stone, and the two others alluded to, situated just where we
should expect to find a cross, but also that there does exist
an undoubted example of the socket-stone of a Dartmoor cross
being pierced through. This will come under our notice in a
succeeding chapter, and when we have seen all these stones
we may perhaps think that after all we shall be right in
regarding them as bases that once supported crosses. We
shall then have excellent grounds for believing that we can
fix the approximate site of another of the boundary marks
mentioned in the deed of Amicia ; that we see, in fact, in this
stone near Roborough the base of the ancient Copriscrosse.

That it stood on this road is certain. The boundary of
the manor, or parish, as we have said is conterminous with it,
and the words of the deed are also clear, for it describes it as
running from Wool well " per viam quae ducit de Sutton ad
Tavistock ad Copriscrosse."

By this road we shall now make our way to Roborough
Down, and shortly after passing the entrance to Maristowe
shall turn into the Buckland road on the left. Noticing the
grounds of Bickham as we proceed, we soon reach one of
the entrances to the abbey demesne, near which we can look

Of Dartmoor and its Borderland. 61

down upon the buildings that now stand on the site of that
religious house for the support of which the Lady Amicia
freely gave so much wealth. Little remains of the original
structure, for not many years after the dissolution the abbey
was converted into a residence by Sir Richard Grenville. In
1580 he sold it to John Hele and Christopher Harris, and in
the following year it was disposed of by them to Sir Francis
Drake, and it is now the property of a descendant.

Sir Francis kept prisoner at Buckland Abbey one of the
vice-admirals of the Armada, Don Pedro de Valdez, until the
ransom that he had demanded was forthcoming. Here are
portraits of this Spaniard, and also of Charles II. and his con-
sort, and Nell Gwynne, as well as one of Sir Francis himself.

The village of Buckland is about a mile distant from the
abbey, and is pleasingly situated on a slope that descends to
the Tavy. Many of the houses have an old-time air about
them, and being removed some distance from a high-road the
place wears a look of repose. Here, just within the church-
yard, is a remarkably fine modern cross, set upon the ancient
base. It was erected in 1898 as a memorial of the Diamond
Jubilee of Her late Majesty, and forms a striking feature in
the place.

It formerly stood on the opposite side of the road, and
during later years the open space on which it was originally
erected was partly built on, one end of a row of cottages being
quite close to the dilapidated pedestal. In 1892 an old man,
who was then seventy-three years of age, told me that he
remembered when the space around the base was clear, and
that when a lad he assisted the mason in the building of the
cottages. He did not, however, recollect having seen the
cross in its place on the pedestal. All that remained at the
date above named was a confused heap of large stones, that
had formed the pedestal, but whether this consisted of three
or four stages, could not then be very well determined. It
was surmounted by the socket-stone, which, however, was
displaced. This was a very fine block, and like the pedestal
was octagonal in shape.

The new shaft, which is of considerable height, is formed of
three pieces of granite, on which is a beautiful lantern cross,
and the restoration which was carried out by Mr. Sedding, has
been most carefully done, and with a due regard to the retention

62 T}ie Ancient Stone Crosses

of all the old stones as far as was possible. An examination
of the stones showed that there were originally four stages
forming the base. To complete this, twelve new stones were
required, but some are only small ones. These are of granite,
but the old ones are of Roborough Down stone.

What was considered to have been a portion of the original
shaft stands in the churchyard, near the gate, and has a sun-
dial fixed upon it. Excavation, however, proved that this
column could never have belonged to the shaft, as the part
beneath the surface was found to be in a rough state. It is
therefore probable that it was made for the .purpose which it
now serves. The pillar is about four feet in height, and is
surmounted by an ancient sculptured capital, which being of
the same kind of stone as the original base of the cross may
not improbably have formed a cap to its shaft.

Two stones, which appear to be parts of a cross, are to be
found at Milton, a hamlet in the parish, and these were
examined when the restoration had been decided upon in the
hope that they might prove to be fragments of the old
Buckland Cross. But their character did not show that this
was likely, and it was therefore decided to erect an entirely
new shaft.

The lantern exhibits some very fine carving. There are
figures of St. Bernard, St. Andrew, to whom the church is
dedicated, the arms of the See of Exeter, and of Buckland
Abbey. A small Latin cross surmounts the whole.

There being scarcely sufficient space in the village street
for the cross, a site was found for it in the churchyard. It
stands on the spot occupied for many years by a noble horse-
chestnut tree, that was destroyed by the blizzard of 1891.

At the inauguration there was a short service in the
church, and addresses were delivered from the steps of the
cross.

There is a school close at hand, founded by Lady Mody-
ford in 1702, and, as a tablet states, repaired by Sir Masseh
Lopes in 1830. Over the porch is a small granite cross.

Two inscribed stones have been found at Buckland, and
are noticed in a succeeding chapter.

Shortly after leaving the village on our way to Roborough
Down, and just before reaching the entrance to the vicarage,
in a gateway of a field belonging to Crapstone Farm, may be

Of Dartmoor and its Borderland. 63

seen what has been thought to be the upper portion of the
Buckland Cross. It now serves the purpose of a gate-post.
In shape it is octagonal and stands thirty-nine inches above
the ground, tapering very slightly. At the top it is thirty-
four inches in girth. Hinges fixed into it, which are not now
used, show that it has also been made to serve as a gate-post
in some other position.

In the valley on our left as we return over Roborough
Down, lies the large village of Horrabridge. Built into the
northern parapet of the bridge which there spans the Walk-
ham is a granite stone having an incised cross upon it, over
two feet in height, the lines being some three or four inches
wide. The stone fills up the whole thickness of the parapet.

On nearing the Rock Hotel a lane will be observed leading
from the down on our right. This will conduct us to the
village of Meavy, passing through which once more we again
reach Marchants Cross, from which object our investigations
will now lead us to Sheepstor.

We have stated in a former chapter that there are grounds
for believing that Marchants Cross once bore another name.
One of the six crosses we have mentioned as marking at certain
points the bounds of the lauds given to the Abbey of Buck-
land, is Smalacumbacrosse. Though we cannot identify with
absolute certainty the bound mentioned in the deed which
immediately precedes it, there are others named in such close
connection as to leave no doubt whatever that it must at least
have stood in the immediate vicinity of the spot on which
Marchants Cross is reared. Not only does the boundary of
the parish of Sheepstor come down to this point, but close
to it is a little lateral valley still bearing the name of Smalla-
combe. While therefore we may not deem the evidence
conclusive, it certainly appears highly probable that Marchants
Cross and Smalacumbacrosse are one and the same.

This supposition will be strengthened if we consider that
we can identify the brook that runs into the Mew a short
distance from the cross as the Smalacumbalak, or lake, men-
tioned in the deed. As it flows from the valley bearing that
name we can indeed hardly come to any other conclusion.

Leaving for a time this fine old cross (for we shall return
to it in order to resume our journey over the monks' road to
Sampford Spiney) we continue on our way, and shall soon find

64 The Ancient Stone Crosses

that the lane becomes merely a rough track leading over Lynch
Down. We may follow it, and so gain the Sheepstor road at
the top of the hill, or we may reach the village by leaving the
common and taking a path across the fields. The view from
the summit of the hill is of the most extensive character, and
on a fine, clear day, will not fail to afford the observer a vast
amount of delight. On approaching Sheepstor the visitor
begins to feel that before him lies an ideal Dartmoor border
settlement. There is the grey moor-stone church, with its
strong-looking tower with crocketted pinnacles, at the foot
of a huge tor, bold in outline, and with confused masses of
granite covering the slope from which it rises. Near the gate
of the churchyard is the old priest's house, bearing a date
carved upon its wall, and next to it the vicarage, built in a
corresponding style, thus harmonizing well with all that sur-
rounds it. There, too, are the rough granite walls of the
enclosures, and little cultivated patches creeping up to the
rocky common, trees growing in the sheltered part of the
combe, and a purling brook with its primitive looking bridge.
And above all the feeling that one experiences of having
reached the limits of the cultivated country — indeed, what
is for some distance behind him is only partially reclaimed —
and that before him lies a vast moor, over which he may
travel for many miles ere meeting with any sign of man's
recent occupation.

Not far from the east end of the churchyard, at a point
where one lane joins another, is a granite stone in the hedge,
which is the broken base of the old Sheepstor Cross. It
occupies a similar position to the one we have examined at
Shaugh, but is very much hidden by the growth around it.
The cross, though missing from this spot, is not lost, but stands
in a field at Burrator, some half-mile distant, where it serves
the purpose of a rubbing-post for cattle. To reach it we
must proceed on the road leading to the Burrator dam, when
we shall soon notice the entrance to the house of that name.
As the cross now stands in private property it will of course
be necessary to obtain permission to visit it. It will be
found in a field overlooking the deep vale of the Mew below
Yennadon. It has been sadly mutilated, both arms being
broken, but is still far from presenting the appearance of an
ordinary granite post, inasmuch as on each of its faces there is

Of Dartmoor and its Bordtrland. 65

a cross cut in relief, extending from what is now the foot of the
shaft to where the arms sprung from it ; the head also is seen
to grow wider as it rises from the fractured arms in the
manner of a Maltese cross. The cross cut in relief is an
interesting feature, such figures when found upon the Dart-
moor examples being almost invariably incised, and it will
be noticed that it is very similar to the one sculptured on
the slab in the wall of the Church at Meavy. The cross
now stands four-and-a-half feet only above the ground.

A good view of Yennadon with the rocks overlooking the
valley of the Mew, across which is thrown the fine dam of the
Burrator Reservoir, is presented from the field in which it
stands, and quite near to us is Burrator Wood, where is a
fine cascade on the stream that courses through it. Burrator
was at one time the residence of Sir James Brooke, and he
died there in 1868. He was born at Bandel, in Bengal, and
became Rajah of Sarawak, being succeeded by his nephew.
The house is in a secluded situation, and though around it
trees are not lacking, yet the many granite boulders by the
little stream near it, and in some of the fields, proclaim its
proximity to the moor.

We shall, ere resuming our journey, return to Sheepstor
church-town. It is not known to whom the church is dedi-
cated, but there seems to be some probabililty that this was
St. Leonard. I have learnt from the Rev. C. H. Crook, the
present vicar, that a well formerly existed somewhere near,
which was called St. Leonard's Well, and is mentioned in a
record of the time of Queen Elizabeth.

The care which the vicar has bestowed upon the church
and its immediate surroundings is abundantly evident. Over
the south porch are the curious remains of a sun-dial. It is a
carving representing a skull wearing a cap rising to a point,
resting upon an hour-glass with wings. From the mouth
bones are projecting, and ears of corn sprout from the eye-
sockets. On a small scroll at the top are the words Anima
vesurgat and lower down Et sic hora vita ; while beneath are the
initials J. E. and the date 1640, with the words Mors janua
vita at the bottom.* This very interesting " sermon in stone "

* The initials are doubtless those of John Elford, that family having
icsided in the parish from the end of the fifteenth century until 1748.

_
P

66 The Ancient Stone Crosses

is now thoughtfully protected from the action of the weather
by a sheet of glass.

At the head of some steps leading from the churchyard to
the " Play-field " there is a stile, and one of the posts forming
this has been thought to be a portion of a cross. Nothing,
however, seems to be known of it.

The old church-house, which immediately adjoins the
churchyard, has been converted into a commodious parish-
room. This was most carefully done, and with a due regard
to the retention, as far as was possible, of the older parts of
the building. Close to the church-house, and sheltered by a
line row of trees, is the old bull-ring where the sports of the
villagers were held. Its bank is perpendicular and faced with
stones, and from the top the villagers could enjoy the " sport,"
knowing that whatever else the infuriated animal might do,
he could not come at them.

In the churchyard is the tomb of Rajah Brooke, of polished
red Aberdeen granite.

Sheepstor was until 1877 achapelry attached to Bickleigh,
and in the deed of Amicia is mentioned as such. Its ancient
name was Schitestor, or Scitestor.

The tor that overlooks this tiny moorland settlement is of
grand; proportions, and forms a conspicuous object from anj'
elevated point for many miles round. On the side nearest
the church-town is the celebrated Pixies' Cave, which it is said
one of the E) fords of Longstone made his place of retreat,
when hiding from the followers of Cromwell. Longstone,
which afterwards became a farmhouse, is not very far distant.
But1 its surroundings are not as of yore ; since the formation
of the Burrator Reservoir the valley upon which it looked for
so many generations has been turned into a wide lake.

The branch of the Abbots' Way, or Jobbers' Path, that led
to Buckland, passed very near to Sheepstor. It is interesting
to note that this ancient track has left its name here, a place
upon it, someway to the eastward of Sheepstor Church, being
called Jobber. We have already shown how the name lingered
in that of the trackway in the vicinity of Princetown.

It will be necessary now that we return to Marchants
Cross, and once more take for our guide the road so often
traversed by the Augustinians of Plympton. This will bring us
near to the site of another of the crosses named in the deed of
Amicia, as well as into the Countess' manor of Walkhampton.

Of Dartmoor and its Borderland. 67

CHAPTER VIII.

Meavy to Sampford Spiney*

Yennadon — Socket-stone at Dousland — Walkhampton Church — An Old
Church-house — Socket-stone — Huckworthy Bridge— doss on Huck-
worthy Common — Sampford Spiney Cross — Whitchurch Down.

We have seen that Marchants Cross not only acted as a
guide to those who journeyed over the roads we have traced
thus far, but also as a boundary to the lands granted to Buck-
land Abbey. But besides the former there was another path
which it served to mark. There is little doubt that the
Abbots' Way from Sheepstor to Buckland passed by this
spot, so that the cross would act as an assurance also to the
travellers on that track that they had not strayed from their
way, and would point them to the ford below.

Once more crossing Marchants Bridge, we shall proceed up
the lane over which we passed when on our way to Meavy, but
leaving that village on our left shall mount the hill to Yennadon.
Here, if we leave the road, and make our way to the higher
part of the down, we shall not fail to be delighted with the
extensive view obtained from it. Rocky steeps, smiling fields,
hills covered with gorse and heather, thickly-wooded glens,
and wide stretches of common are spread around ; and if we
are familiar with the writings of Capern, the Devonshire post-
man poet, his words may possibly recur to us as we look down
upon the lovely valley of the winding Mew.
" The vales of Devonia !

What landscapes are seen,
So fertile in beauty,
So golden and green!"

Passing on our way we arrive at Dousland,* within a very
short distance of which is one of the stones alluded to in the
preceding chapter, and which we shall find to be of precisely
similar character to the holed stone we have already examined
near Roborough. It is in a hedge close to a gateway on the

* Previous to the adoption by the Railway Company of this mode of
spelling the name it was usually spelt Dowsland. But as I find that in
1818 the letter u was used, and not w, the present form is probably correct.

68 The Ancient Stone Crosses

left of the road leading to Princetown. In shape it is
rectangular, measuring three feet by two-and-a-half feet,
and, as in the former example, there is a square hole in
the centre. This is fifteen inches by twelve, and thus of
suitable size to receive the shaft of a cross. That it is the
socket-stone of one is very probable, though we should not
care to positively pronounce it to be such.

A cross at or near this spot is certainly what we should expect
to find, as it would be difficult to suppose that on a road the
direction of which was marked by such objects one would not
be placed at such an important point. At Dousland the track
from Cornwood and Plympton to Sampford Spiney and Tavis-
tock crossed another which the discovery of several crosses
in certain situations on the moor enabled me to trace, and
which led from the house founded by Amicia at Buckland to
the Abbey of Buckfast by way of Fox Tor and Holne ; this
we shall notice by and by. Here, too, would run the old path
from Plymouth to Moreton, the line of which is followed by
the present highway, so that a cross at this spot would mark
three important roads. But in addition to these considera-
tions we have the fact that the Yanedonecrosse of the Lady
Amicia's deed stood somewhere near here, and if the stone we
now see be indeed the base of a cross, it is by no means
improbable that it once supported the old bond-mark of more
than six hundred years ago.

Our way will now lead us by the lane opposite to the hotel
at Dousland to Walkhampton, at which place we shall leave
it again for a brief space, in order to examine an object near
the church, which is situated on an eminence at some distance
from the village. As we ascend the hill we shall probably
wonder what could have induced the builders of the sacred
edifice to choose such an elevated spot on which to rear it,
but we shall certainly not find fault with the magnificent view
that it commands. Ere we gain the top of the lane we shall
pass through a gate reached by some steps, and a footpath
having a neatly made stone hedge on each side will lead us
to the churchyard. Close to the steps is a large granite
stone, built into the hedge, its face forming two panels, in one
of which are the letters T B, and in the other the date
1 68 — , both cut in relief. The stone is broken, and the last
figure of the date cannot be read.

Cross on Huckworthy Common.

Of Dartmoor and its Borderland. 69

The church is a true type of our moorland sanctuaries, with
a substantially-built tower, round which the wind is for ever
whistling. Near the south porch is a stone to the memory of
Edmond Herring, a former vicar of the parish who died in
1766. Not very far to the east of the church is the old
church-house, overlooking the graveyard, and this is the only
habitation near. In the wall is a granite stone bearing the
date 1598, and the house has a very ancient appearance.
There are several old arched granite doorways, and in the
passage is a very curious projecting block of granite, quaintly
carved to resemble a human face of colossal proportions.

In a corner of the yard, near the door of the house, is
another stone like the one we have seen near Roborough,
but of more uneven form. It measures some two-and-
a-half feet across by three feet or more, and the socket
or hole is nearly square, being twelve inches by thirteen. If
the Roborough stone and the one at Dousland were really
what there is some evidence for supposing them to be, this
stone was certainly the base of a cross also.

Descending to Walkhampton we once more follow the
road to Sampford Spiney, crossing the Walkham at
Huck worthy Bridge, where is a hamlet, most pleasingly
placed. The hill on the further side of the bridge is very
steep, but not of great length. Our old path diverges from
the modern road ere we reach the top, and following this
we shall quickly gain a small piece of common, and keeping
along by the hedge on our left shall be led directly to the
next one of the crosses that mark the road we have been
pursuing from Plympton. It stands on a small mound of
turf, on the edge of the little common, at a point where a
road diverges to Tavistock. It is six-and-a-half feet high,
over a foot in width, and about ten inches in average thick-
ness. The arms are short, measuring only one foot seven
inches across, the southerly one having a part of it broken off;
they are about five inches in depth. The cross is rudely cut,
and of similar character to those usually found on the moor.
A fine view of Walkhampton Common is obtainable from itr
with the rocks of Inga Tor rising to the eastward. Looking
up the lane that leads to Tavistock we see Pu Tor, a pro-
minent pile from many points in this locality, rising above the
cultivated country in the foreground.

70 The Ancient Stone Crosses

But our road will conduct us along the verge of the
common and through enclosed lands to the secluded border
hamlet of Sampford Spiney, the last of the possessions of
the Priory of Plympton met with on this road.

Here is a very fine cross standing on the green, near the
church, and also in proximity to the entrance to the old
manor house. It formerly stood in the hedge near by, but
was removed to its present more suitable situation by the late
Rev. John Hall Parlby, of Manadon, near Plymouth, the lord
of the manor. It is seven feet in height, and of a tapering
form, and is fixed into a socket cut in a large stone sunk into
the ground. A few inches up the shaft the angles are
chamfered, as is the case also with the arms and head. The
arms are the same in width as those of the cross we
have just examined on Huckworthy Common. There is,
however, no resemblance between the two, the latter being
plainly fashioned and far more ancient than this cross, which
is of sixteenth century type. The girth of the shaft at the
bottom where the chamfering begins is two feet ten inches,
and this diminishes to two feet three inches immediately
under the arms : the head rises nine inches above the arms.
The spacious green, with the church embosomed in trees, and
the fine old manor house, with its arched doorways of granite,
forms a most pleasing picture, and one truly characteristic of
of the Dartmoor borders.

It has been supposed that the name of the place is derived
from spinetum, a thornbrake, and both Westcote and Risdon
refer to this. But as it was anciently the possession of the
family of Spinet or de Spineto, it is much more likely that
Sampford owes its adjunct of Spiney to its lords.

The hamlet is distant about four miles from Tavistock, the
road to which town passes over the common under Pu Tor,
to the northern end of Plaster Down, where it joins the one
we left at the cross on Huckworthy Hill. Soon after, it enters
upon Whitchurch Down at Warren's Cross, which is merely a
cross-road, and passes over nearly its whole length.

On this common the path of former days no doubt merged
into one that we have had occasion to notice more than once,
and which, as we shall presently find, crossed this down. We
allude to the old Abbots' Way, the course of which across the
forest we shall next trace, and for this purpose shall now
make our way to quite a different part of the moor.

Of Dartmoor and its Borderland. 71

CHAPTER IX.
The Abbots' Way.

An Ancient Track— Brock Hill Mire— Red Lake Ford— Broad Rock —
Plym Steps — Springs of the Plym — Siward's Cross — Its Early
Mention — Inscription on the Cross — Bond -mark of the Monks'
Moor — Course of the Abbots' Way — The Windypost — Moortown —
Cross on Whitchurch Down — Monkeys' Castle — A Broken Way-
side Cross — Some Tavistock Worthies.

By far the most important track in the south quarter of
the forest was the Abbots' Way, which is still in many places
a well-defined path, and of considerable use to horsemen. It
enters the moor on its south-eastern side in the neighbourhood
of Lambsdown Farm, at the head of the valley of Dean Burn,
but cannot be traced with any certainty until it is seen at a
ford on Dean Moor,* This is on a small stream that
runs from Brock Hill Mire into the Avon, and from this
point the old road is perfectly distinct as far as Huntingdon
Cross. Here it crossed the Avon, but mining operations
have obliterated it ; it is not seen again until Buckland Ford
is reached. This name we shall have no difficulty in con-
necting with the abbey to which the ancient path conducted.
From the ford it is easily traceable for a considerable distance,
and is carried up the hill by the side of a hollow. At
the top it is crossed by the disused turf tramway, a quarter
of a mile or more below Western Whitaburrow, and from this
point we shall follow it across the forest.

We shall first trace it to Red Lake Ford, which
we may easily do, as this old track is here very
plainly marked. It may have crossed the stream at this
fording-place, or lower down ; at all events, there are evident
traces of a path below it, on the left bank. The road on each
side of the ford is certainly well-defined, but this would
naturally be the case as it is much used by the moormen in
driving their cattle to and from the grazing grounds on Green
Hill, where is the best pasturage in the south quarter.

* Vide page 18.

72 The Ancient Stone Crosses

There is a second ford over Red Lake just where it falls
into the Erme, and not very far above Erme Pound, and it
seems probable that at this point, or near it, another path
joined the Abbots' Way. In our notice of Spurrell's Cross
we briefly described the course of a track running from the
in-country below the Eastern Beacon for some distance over
the moor, and which we said could be traced to a wide hollow
known as Stony Bottom. This, which is sometimes called the
Blackwood Path, though perhaps used as a way to Erme
Pound, it is likely was also traversed at times by travellers
making for the Abbots' Way from the neighbourhood of
Ugborough, and it would be near the point at which we have
now arrived that they would strike it.

After passing Red Lake the monks' track is lost for some
distance, but that it ran near the left bank of the Erme is
evident, for it is observable in two places a little further on,
where it crossed Dry Lake and Dark Lake, tributaries of that
river, and in each case the ford is close to where the waters
unite. Near Dark Lake is the source of the Erme, and the
infant stream can be seen trickling from the mire. The latter,
however, seems to be filling up ; at all events it has been in
a very different state within our own recollection. But though
its condition may formerly have been such as to present an
obstacle to the traveller, it would appear that a means was
found to overcome this. The road stops at the edge of it, but
as it is to be seen on the rising ground beyond the mire, it
is plain that the monks passed that way by riding through the
bed of the little stream, where the bottom is hard, and this
still affords the horseman a means of crossing.

Not far to the north-west of Erme Head is Broad Rock,
which was an important point on the Abbots' Way, for here
the old path divided into two branches, one, and that the most
used, leading to Buckland, the other to Tavistock.*

The first is still a good hard track, and descends the hill to
the Plym, which it crosses at Plym Steps, and shortly after
becoming merged into a more modern road,t passes over the

* Broad Rock is a mass of granite about three feet in height, and with
rounded sides and a fairly level surface with the letters B B — Broad Rock.
The initials stand for Blatchford Boundary, the rock making the limits of
that manor.

t This road leads to Eylesbarrow Mine.

Of Dartmoor and, its Borderland. 73

common towards Sheepstor, as mentioned in the chapter deal-
ing with the boundary crosses of the Lady Amicia's lands.

The other branch it is difficult to trace with any degree of
certainty. It seems to have passed very near to the springs
of the Plym, where there is a ford, but the road shown on the
recent Ordnance Map, and called the Abbots' Way, is
for the most part a comparatively modern track, and it
is unlikely that the monks' path took that course. We shall
in fact meet with few traces of the old road beyond the ford.
The traffic over this branch could never have been great, for
unless with a special object the traveller from Buckfast to
Tavistock would not be likely to choose this way. He would
have found it more convenient to have followed the path
from Broad Rock to Marchants Cross and thence to Whit-
church Down.

A short distance to the north-east of the cart track which
runs over the hill in front of us, and on the side of the upper
Swincombe Valley, a triangular shaped stone, having on it a
rudely cut cross in relief, was discovered by Dr. A. B. Prowse
in 1900. It may possibly have been removed from the Abbots'
Way, but if it once formed the head of the pillar near which it was
found, as Dr. Prowse reasonably supposes, it is more probable
that it served to mark the track described in the next chapter.

Leaving the Plym we proceed in a direction north-west by
north, passing over a ridge, where we shall find fairly
good ground, and at the distance of about a mile and a half
shall come in sight of an object at the foot of a slope which
will cause us to quicken our steps towards it.

This is Siward's Cross, a most interesting relic, and though
not quite so high as Marchants Cross, is more massive, and is,
in fact, the largest of the old crosses on Dartmoor. It is now
more frequently called Nun's Cross, and is about two-and-a-
half miles to the southward of Princetown. It is fixed in a
socket cut in a block of stone sunk nearly level with the ground.
In height it is seven feet four inches, and measures two feet
eight inches across the arms. The width is rather greater across
the head than lower down, being there one foot eight inches,
while immediately below the arms it is but one foot six inches.
Across the lower part of the shaft it is narrower still, for at
the distance of one foot from the bottom it measures only
one foot five inches, and below this it narrows gradually

74 The Ancient Stone Crosses

towards the socket in which it is placed. These measurements
I took on the eastern side. Its average thickness is four-
teen inches. The arms spring from the shaft at a distance
of five feet nine inches from the bottom, the largest of them,
the southerly one, being eleven inches in depth close to the
shaft, and the smaller one only eight inches.

At the distance of three feet eight inches from the bottom
the shaft has been broken, but an iron clamp on each
side now holds it firmly together, and iron wedges also
secure it in the socket. The damage was caused by the cross
being overturned, but how this occurred remained for many
years unknown. In 1889, however, I gathered the particulars
from Mr. W. H. Woodley, of Plymouth, a great lover of the
moor, who obtained them two or three years previously from
one who was concerned in the overthrow of the cross, and on
the loth September in that year Mr. Woodley again saw his
informant, when he confirmed his former story. It appears
that when a lad he was out with a companion looking for
cattle on the moor, and finding that the cross rocked in its
socket, they pushed it over, and the shaft broke in two pieces.
This was in 1846, but it was soon after repaired by a stone-
mason named John Newcombe, and when Rowe wrote — in
1848 — it was again erect.

It forms one of the boundary marks of the forest, being
mentioned in the Perambulation of 1240, and is figured on
the old map of the moor already referred to. Here it is
represented as standing on steps, in the same manner as
Hobajon's Cross, but there is no trace of anything of the
kind now. On the back of the map the perambulation is set
forth, and at its foot is the following : —

" hit is to be noatid that on the one syde of the
crosse abouesaid their is graven in the stone Crux
Siwardi, and on the oth. side is graven, Roolande."

In the notes to Carrington's Dartmoor, however, it is stated
that on the western side the words Bond bond are to be seen in
Saxon characters, having been conjectured, so that work
states, to mean the bond or bound of the land, and on the
eastern side, in more modern characters, the word Syward,
considered to be the name of some prince, duke, or earl of
the forest. The writer of the Dartmoor portion of Murray's
Handbook for Devonshire, ed. 1879, Mr. R. J. King, whose

Of Dartmoor and its Borderland. 75

acquaintance with Dartmoor was very extensive, renders the
inscription on one side as Syward, and on the other as
Bod Bonde, and says it marked the " bonde " between the
royal forest and the monks' moor.

Many years ago I examined these inscriptions with great
care, and although they are not easily to be made out, "yet on
the eastern face, across the arms, I think there is unquestion-
ably the word Syward or Siward. It is uncertain whether the
second letter is a Y or an I, and the first is not very distinct,
but the last four there is not much doubt about. On the
western face there is a small incised cross in the centre of the
shaft, where it is intersected by the arms, and immediately
below this are the letters which have been read as Bod Bond
and also as Roolande, and by Mr. Spence Bate as Booford, but
which I was the first to decipher. Siward's Cross, is, as we
have already observed, named in the deed of Amicia as one of
the boundary marks of her lands, which comprised, among
other manors, that of Walkhampton, the village of which name
we have already visited. This manor abuts on the forest,
and the boundary line is drawn from Mis Tor to the Plym.*
The cross, therefore, in addition to being considered a forest
boundary mark, was also a manorial one, and when the lands
of the Countess were bestowed upon the monks, it became one
to the possessions of Buckland Abbey. It was this fact that
enabled me to read the inscription it bears, and to convince
me that the letters on it which have been so variously
interpreted simply represent the word Boclond. This opinion
I find is shared by all writers who have since had occasion to
notice the cross. The name, as already stated, is engraved
on its western face — the side on which the monk's posses-
sions lay.

* " From Walkhampton to the boundaries of Dartmoor, on the northern
part of Mistor, and thence towards the south by the boundaries of the
Verderers (regardorum) of Dartmoor, that is to say, by Mistorhead (Mistor
panna), and by Hysfochres, and by Sivvards Cross and Gyllesburgh and
Plymcrundla to the Plym." Deed of Amicia, Countess of Devon. Dr-
Oliver's Monasticon, p. 383 ; Mr. J. Brooking Rowe's Cistercian Houses of
Devon, Trans. Devon Assoc., vol vii. p. 355. It would seem as though an
endeavour was afterwards made to extend these bounds, for one of the
abbots was, in 1478, found guilty by a jury at Lydford of intruding upon
the prince's land in Dartmoor.

76 The Ancient Stoiie Crosses

The word is divided, the first three letters forming one
line, and the remaining four another, directly under it thus :

BOG

LORD

and this has caused some to imagine that there were two
words. How the second syllable should have been read as
Bond, I cannot conceive, for the L is plainly to be discerned.
The other letters require a careful examination to determine
what they are, but with a very close scrutiny the only one
there will be found to be any doubt about is the third, which
looks more like an O than anything else. This is, however,
easily to be accounted for, as the wearing away of a very
small portion of the stone would produce this appearance.
It is this which has deceived those who have endeavoured to
decipher the inscription, and together with the error of
reading the first letter as an R instead of a B (another mistake
which might easily occur) has led to the belief that the letters
represented the word Roolande, but no one has ever suggested
any reason why such a name should appear on the cross.
Seven letters only can be seen : there does not appear to have
been any final E.

While, however, we can quite understand such a mistake
as the foregoing happening at a period long subsequent to the
letters being engraved, it is puzzling to see how it could
have arisen at a time when they would not only be plainly
decipherable, but the meaning of them also be perfectly
understood, as must have been the case if the date of the
map is to be referred to the thirteenth century. But this cir-
cumstance prohibits our entertaining such a belief, unless the
writing on the back can be shown to be of much later date
than the map itself, for it is not possible that such an error
as that of reading the name as Roolande could have arisen
until long after the time when it was first engraved on the
cross. It therefore appears that the map cannot boast of so
great an antiquity as has been supposed ; but it may be a
copy of an older map, in which case the description of the
cross and the drawing of the church, must have been added
when the copy was made.*

* Mr. Stuart A. Moore, in his Report to the Dartmoor Preservation
Association, 1890-1, refers to this map, and says that the handwriting
shows it to be of the middle or latter part of the fifteenth century.

Of Dartmoor and its Borderland. 77

The old spelling, or Saxon form, of the name occurs in the
deed of Amicia, as we should expect, and also in the charter
of her daughter Isabella de Fortibus, granted in 1291. The
name was probably derived from the tenure of the lands,
Boc lond meaning land held by book, or charter. Boc is the
Anglo-Saxon word for the beech, and received its other signifi-
cation in consequence of beech boards having been used for
writing on by the Teutons. Dyer, however, states that places
or streams which bear the name of Buckland derive it from
ock or uck, " water," as many were so named before the tenure
of Boc land was known.* But in the present instance we
shall have little difficulty in deciding which is the most
probable etymology.

The letters on the cross which compose the name of
Syward, have been considered to be much more modern than
those which we have just been examining, and certainly have
that appearance. They were therefore probably cut on the
stone long after the cross first obtained that name, in order to
perpetuate it.

As this cross was in existence before Buckland Abbey was
founded, we know at once that the monks of that house were
not the erectors of it ; with regard to the monks of Tavistock
Abbey, the case is somewhat different. Siward's Cross, stand-
ing as it does on the line of the Abbots' Way, would seem,
not improbably, to have been set up by the monks of Tavistock,
as a mark to point out the direction of this track across the
moor. But it has been supposed to have obtained its name
from Siward, Earl of Northumberland, who held property near
this part of the moor in the Confessor's reign. His possessions,
the manors of Tavy and Warne, were certainly a few miles
distant from the cross, but as there is reason for believing that
the forest was sometimes under grant to a subject in early days,
there is nothing improbable in the supposition that it may have
been temporarily conferred upon the great Dane, and that the
cross was one of his bond-marks. But it may have been erected
by the monks of Tavistock nevertheless, for Tavistock Abbey
was founded in the tenth century. This, however, is a point
which, from the slender evidence we have, it is impossible
to determine. Mr. Spence Bate is of opinion that it was

* Restoration of the Ancient Modes of Bestowing Names, etc., p. 163.

78 The Ancient Stone Crosses

erected on the site of an old kistvaen, which he considers is
the cause of its possessing more than one name, that of the
old warrior, whose remains reposed in the rude sarcophagus,
adhering to the spot after the erection of the Christian symbol.
This is, of course, possible, but I am more inclined to see in
the word Nun's a corruption of nans, which in Cornu-Celtic
means a valley, dale or ravine ; the cross stands at the
head of the valley where rises the Swincombe, a tributary of
the West Dart. The name may, however, be of modern
origin, and with little to guide us it would be useless
to endeavour to determine its derivation. Whatever our con-
jectures may be as to who erected this cross, or the meaning
of the names it bears, we can at least be sure on some points.
We know positively that it was standing as early as 1240,
was then known as Siward's Cross, and that it formed one of
the boundary marks of the forest.*

Being closely surrounded by higher ground, there is no
view from the cross except a peep at Fox Tor down the
valley. That tor, however, is seen to better advantage from
this spot than from any other. The enclosures of a small
moor farm are close at hand, the low thatched out-house being
built in true Dartmoor style.

We shall again pass the monks' bond-mark, but for the
present bid adieu to this interesting old memorial of other
times.

TO SIWARD'S CROSS.

Old cross, how many summers bright have flown

Since first was here up-reared thy sacred form ;
How many winters hast thou stood alone,

And braved the storm.
Of those who shaped and fashioned thee with care,

From the rough block that midst the heather lay,
The memory, like smoke upon the air,

Has passed away.
At morn, when gladdened by the sun's bright ray,

The lark poured forth her mountain melody,
Oft has the abbot, passing on his way,

Gazed upon thee.

*In the charter of 1204. by which King John purported to disafforest
all Devonshire up to the metes and bounds of Dartmoor and Exrnoor.
those bounds are referred to as being as they " were in the time of King
Henry I."

The Windy Post.

Of Dartmoor and its Borderland. 79

When dusky night's advance made daylight flee,
Or gathering mists the beaten track would hide,

The lonely traveller, beholding thee,
Has found a guide.

Long in the desert may'st thou stand, old cross,
And towards thee ne'er be stretched an unkind hand ;

But with thy coat of lichen grey and moss,
Lcng may'st thou stand !

Though it is not possible to identify any existing path in
this part of the moor with the Abbots' Way, the name of
Jobbers' Cross occurring in connection with the old track near
the Prison at Princetown, as before mentioned, certainly leads
to the supposition that it must have passed that way.
The course one would more readily imagine that it took
would be to the westward of North Hisworthy Tor,* instead
of to the eastward of it, the side on which Princetown lies, for
in such a case a more direct line to Tavistock from South
Hisworthy Tor would have been followed. But the former
existence of the old track at Princetown is a strong piece of
evidence that this was not the case.

Though we do not know precisely where this branch of the
Abbots' Way crossed the Walkham, it seems probable that it
was not far below the present Merivale Bridge. Thither we
shall now proceed, and on the further side of the river shall
pass near Vixen Tor, and leaving the road on our right shall
cross Beckamoor Combe to Feather Tor, which is situated a
little to the northward of Pu Tor.

Here conspicuously placed is a cross, and on nearing it we
shall find it to be a remarkably fine example. It is known in
the vicinity as the Windy post or Windy stone, but is some-
times called Beckamoor Cross. It stands on an elevated plain
between Feather Tor and Barn Hill, being close to the former,
which is a tor of small size. The shaft and arms are octagonal ;
the former are three feet four inches in girth, and the
latter a little less. It is seven feet in height, and across the
arms measures two feet three inches ; the distance of the
under surface of the arms from the bottom of the shaft is
five feet. The faces of this cross look nearly due north and
south, and it inclines out of the perpendicular ; a straight line

*Commonly called North Hessary Tor. South Hisworthy Tor is now
generally known in the vicinity as Look-out Tor.

8o The Ancient Stone Crosses

drawn from the under surface of the arm, close to the shaft on
the western side, would fall seven inches off from the bottom.
The broad arrow has been cut on it, I presume, by the
Ordnance surveyors.

Some moss and lichen are seen on the head of this interest-
ing relic, telling us of its age, like the silvered hair of an old
man. Time, however, has dealt gently with it, for it is in a
very good state of preservation, and shows but few signs of
the winter storms to which it has for long years been
exposed.

From its style this cross would appear to be of sixteenth
century erection, and it could not therefore have marked the
Abbots' Way. But as the branch of that path which led to
Tavistock must have passed very near to its site, it is not
altogether unlikely that it replaced an older stone. It is pointed
out by the moormen that the Windypost stands in a direct line
between a fine menhir, connected with the stone rows on Long
Ash Hill, near Merivale Bridge, towards the east, and a cross
on Whitchurch Down, to be presently noticed, towards the
west. That a more recent path than that of the monks passed
this way, we shall see in a succeeding chapter, and that the
three objects mentioned marked its course there is little doubt.
As this must also have been the general direction of the
Abbots' Way, there seems to be good reason for supposing
that the more modern track here followed the line of the
ancient one.

From the Windypost the path will lead us down the hill
towards Moortown, where we pass^ over ground doubtless
often traversed by the monks.

" Moretown," says Risdon, " hath long been in the tenure
of Moringe, a family which anciently wrote themselves
De .la More, which place bordereth on the skirts of the
moor." Some lofty trees grow round the house, and a
pleasant lane near it leads from the moor, presenting a
striking contrast to the wild heath we have just left, thickly
strewn with its scattered granite boulders. On nearing the
end of the lane an ascent is before us, and up this we make
our way, to shortly find ourselves on Whitchurch Down.
We pursue a straight course, and soon an object is revealed
which will become a guide to us, as it has been to others in
the long -past years.

Cross on Whitchurch Down,

Of Dartmoor and its Borderland. 81

" Hard by the wayside I found a cross,
That made me breathe a pray'r upon the spot. —

*******
Methought, the claims of Charity to urge
More forcibly, along with Faith and Hope,
The pious choice had pitch'd upon the verge

Of a delicious slope,

Giving the eye much variegated scope ; —
'Look round,' it whisper'd, 'on that prospect rare,
Those vales so verdant, and those hills so blue ;
Enjoy the sunny world, so fresh, and fair.' "*

The cross stands near the centre of the down, and not far
from the highway leading to Tavistock. It has a very rugged
appearance, and the depth of the arms, which are roughly
shapen, will at once strike the observer as being much greater
than is generally the case, this being no less than eighteen
inches. The shaft measures four feet eight inches from the
bottom to the under surface of the arms ; its full height being
seven feet nine inches. In width it is about twelve or thirteen
inches, and in thickness varies from ten to twelve. The
arms are two feet four inches across. This venerable cross
leans slightly on one side, and its rude fashioning presents a
great contrast to the care displayed in the shaping of the
Windypost.

On the south-east face there is something which bears a
faint resemblance to an incised cross, but the granite is so
much worn by the weather that it is impossible to determine
with any degree of certainty whether the marks are artificial
or not.

It will be noticed that the cross stands within a circular
enclosure formed by a low bank of turf, which includes a
small quarry in its area. This enclosure is four hundred and
seventy feet in circumference, the measurement being taken
on the top of the bank, which is much overgrown with
heather in places.

On the further side of the road, and on the verge of the
down, is a piece of wall having the appearance of the remains
of some building. The site is known as Monkeys' Castle,
which is probably a corruption of monks, and may point to
some connection with the brothers of the abbey.

* Hood, Ode to Rae Wilson.

82 The Ancient Stone Crosses

Though standing on the line of the Abbots' Way, the
appearance of this cross would seem to warrant the sup-
position that it is of earlier date than either of the religious
houses of the moorland borders.

It used to be related in the neighbourhood that refractory
prisoners of war were brought to this weather-beaten stone
from Princetown to be whipped, but what gave rise to such a
report it is not easy to see.

At this part of the down the track we have been lately
noticing was joined by the one which we have already followed
from Plympton through Sampford Spiney, for though all traces
of these ancient paths have disappeared, it is certain that from
near this cross to the town of Tavistock they were one. We
take the road leading to that place, but before quitting the
down shall find yet another cross. On nearing the northern
end of the common, where the road descends to Vigo Bridge,
it will be seen close to the wayside. Like so many other
examples, it has been sadly mutilated, the head and arms,
with the socket-stone, alone remaining.

It is this cross to which we have referred as having the
hole for the reception of the shaft cut entirely through the
base, in the manner seen in the stones we have already ex-
amined at Roborough, and at Dousland and Walkhampton.
As this is an undoubted base of a cross, and yet similar to the
stones named, we may perhaps consider that we have now a
very strong reason for regarding them as having been designed
for a like purpose.

The stone is sunk into the ground, its surface being level
with the turf, and is in two parts, having by some means been
broken completely across. The socket is square, but has the
corners rounded, and in this the head is fixed. Of the shaft
below the arms, which are a little over two feet across, and
project about seven inches, only some three or four inches
remain ; above them the head rises thirteen inches. In the
centre where the shaft is intersected by the arms there is a
small incised cross.

This is the last of the interesting objects we have here
attempted to describe, that we shall meet with on the path
leading to the great Benedictine foundation on the banks of
the Tavy. Among those crosses that we have seen marking
the direction of the various roads by which it was approached,

Of Dartmoor and its Borderland 83

there are some that were evidently primarily erected for
that purpose. Of these we are able to approximate the date,
since it is likely that they would be set up at an early period
in the history of the religious houses. Tavistock Abbey was
founded in 961, and Plympton Priory before the middle of the
thirteenth century; Buckfast, enlarged in 1137, was founded
before the Conquest, while the date of Buckland, as we have
seen, was 1278. It therefore appears certain that most of the
crosses on these monks' paths date back to the twelfth century,
while some may be even older than that.

And now as we make our way towards the ancient town
which for so long has been our goal, thoughts of other days
will perhaps crowd into our mind. We shall think of the
time when the rich abbey, commenced by Ordgar and finished
by his son Ordulph, flourished there; of the Saxon School,
and of the printing press, and the monk Dan Thomas
Rychard, who in 1525 "emprented in the exempt Monas-
tery of Tavestok in Denshyre " a translation of Boetius De
Consolatione Philosophies. We shall think too of Francis Drake,
that brave " sea-dog " of Devon, who first drew breath beside
fair Tavy's stream ; of Browne, the author of Britannia's
Pastorals and of the well-known lines on Lydford Law, and
the recollection of the fare he obtained on his visit to that
place — the " tythen pig " between " nine good stomachs," and
the "glass of drink " (" claret when it was in France") — will
bring a smile to our faces ; and as some of the beautiful
descriptions of sylvan scenery in the Pastorals recur to us, and
the story of the loves of the Walla and the Tavy is brought to
our mind, we shall see in imagination the " all joysome
grove," the bowers, and the "shading trees" of which he
sings, and hear the feathered melodists of the woods mingling
their carols with the loud murmuring of the" voiceful stream."

" So numberless the songsters are that sing
In the sweet groves of the too careless spring,
That I no sooner could the hearing lose
Of one of them, but straight another rose,
And perching deftly on a quaking spray,
Nigh tir'd herself to make her hearer stay."*

'Britannia's Pastorals. Book ii., Song 3.

84 The Ancient Stone Crosses

CHAPTER X.
A Green Path of the Moor.

Buckland to the South-east Border — Crazy Well Pool— Piers Gaveston —
A Broken Cross— Remains of Cross by the Wayside— Stone Pillar —
Fox Tor— Tomb of Childe the Hunter — A Tradition of the Forest —
A Despoiled Monument — Discovery of a Kistvaen — Death of the Lord
of Plymstock — Fox Tor Newtake and its Crosses — Crosses on Ter
Hill — Stannaburrows — The Down Ridge Crosses — Horse Ford —
Horn's Cross — An Old Road — Queen Victoria's Cross at Hex-
worthy — Holne Moor — Cross in Holne Churchyard — Birthplace of
Charles Kingsley — Cross at Hawson— Buckfast Abbey — Base at
Ashburton — Cross at Gulwell.

Deferring for a time our notice of certain interesting
objects in the town on the Tavy to which our journeyings
have brought us, we shall for the present again turn our
attention to the south quarter of the forest.

The road from Marchants Cross to Sampford Spiney was
crossed at Dousland by another, which, as I have already
mentioned, my discovery of several prostrate crosses had
revealed to me. Being marked by such a number of these
objects, and pointing as it does to Buckland on the western
side of the moor and to Buckfast on the south-east, it certainly
seems probable that it was used by the monks of those
houses, though the Abbots' Way was a much more direct .
route between them. It would, however, have been necessary
to the first-named house if they desired to reach the part of
the moor lying to the eastward of Dartmeet, to which a
branch of it went, and they may have had occasion to do so-
But however this may be, it is plain that a track ran over the
forest from Walkhampton Common to Holne Moor, and the
common lands of Widecombe. This we shall now endeavour
to trace, and shall commence our journey at Dousland.

Proceeding up the Princetown road we diverge across the
common on the right, and follow the lane to Lowery, a farm on
the verge of the waste. Here the scenery is of a remarkably
romantic character, and is not surpassed in any part of the
borderland of Dartmoor. There is a grand group of tors,

Of Dartmoor and its Borderland. 85

their rugged peaks towering high above the partially culti-
vated combes which here run up into the moor. Sheepstor
is the conspicuous feature in the view, and its dimensions
are very strikingly presented. Below us is the lake-like
expanse of water forming the Burrator Reservoir. On
our left as we advance is Lether Tor, which we see to
great advantage, and below it the farm which bears its
name. Passing this, we cross one of the branches of the
Mew at Lether Tor Bridge, the construction of which is
similar to that of the older clappers on the moor, and pro-
ceeding on our way shall be struck with the fine outline of
another tor immediately in front of us. This is Down Tor,
and we shall notice that the masses of granite on its summit
lie amid patches of turf and heather, its appearance presenting
a decided contrast to Lether Tor, which is composed entirely
of piles of rock.

Passing a farm called Kingsett on our right, we leave the
enclosures and enter on the common, and shall find that our
road has now degenerated into a very rough track indeed,
suitable only as a bridle-path, or for peat carts. Close to it,
on the left is Crazy Well Pool, and it is here, near its brink,
that we shall discover the first in the line of crosses stretching
over the forest.

A gully will be noticed on the le/t of the road, with a little
brook issuing from it, and crossing our path. This gully we
shall not pass, but shall keep along, its verge, and shall be
led directly to the pool.

Lying in a deep hollow, Crazy Well Pool bursts upon the
view suddenly, but the best effect is produced by sighting it
first from the northern side, where the bank is highest, and
where a few steps will bring to our view — as by the wand of
an enchanter — a broad, deep tarn, where, but a moment
before, a common covered with gorse and heather, with a few
scattered hillocks, alone met the eye.

There is no doubt that this hollow is an artificial excava-
tion, the remains, in all probability, of mining operations,
numerous old workings of a similar character being found
about this part of the common.

A belief has arisen among the country people that the
pool ebbs and flows with the tide, and that it is fathom-
less, the old story being still related on the moor that the

86 The Ancient Stone Crosses

bell-ropes of Walkhampton Church were once tied together,
and let down into the pool, without finding any bottom.
According to Rowe, however, the pool was drained nearly
dry, in the year 1844, in order to supply the deficiencies of
the leat near by, and its depth was then ascertained.

There is a ballad, by the Rev. John Johns, son of Mr.
A. B. Johns, a Plymouth artist, founded on a tradition that
Piers Gaveston was concealed on the moor during one of his
banishments, and the scene of it is laid at Crazy Well Pool.
Here, at early dawn, clothed in a peasant's dress, Gaveston
awaits the coming of the Witch of Sheepstor :

" 'Where lags the witch ? she willed me wait

Beside this mere at daybreak hour,
When mingling in the distance safe
The forms of cloud and tor.

' She comes not yet ; 'tis a wild place —

The turf is dank, the air is cold ;
Sweeter, I ween, on kingly dais,

To kiss the circling gold ;

Sweeter in courtly dance to tell

Love tales in lovely ears ;
Or hear, high placed in knightly selle,

The crash of knightly spears.

'What would they say, who knew me then,

Teacher of that gay school,
To see me guest of savage men

Beside this Dartmoor pool ? ' "

The witch comes not, but Gaveston sees her face grow out
of his own, as he peers into the pool ; and letters formed by a
rush moving over the surface of the water, enable him to read

his fate,

"Fear not, thou favourite of a king,
That humbled head shall soon be high."

Alas ! A double meaning was contained in those words,
as Gaveston learned too late. He returned to court, and once
more basked in the sunshine of the royal favour, but a cruel
fate at last overtook him :

" Beside the block his thoughts recall
That scene of mountain sorcery —
Too late ! for high on Warwick wall
In one brief hour his head must be."

* Johns, Gaveston on Dan moor.

Of Dartmoor and its Borderland. 87

The cross, of which only the head now remains, is lying
near the edge of the pool, and probably not far from its
original site. It is particularly unfortunate that it should have
been overturned and shattered, for no spot could be more
fitting for it than the bank of the silent pool.

Regaining the road, near the little stream which flows
from below the pool, we continue on our way, and shortly
come in sight of a ravine sloping down to the southern branch
of the Mew.* When about a half a mile from this ravine, we
leave the road a little on our left, and at the distance of a few
score yards from it, shall come upon the second of the crosses
which compose the line extending from this common to
Holne Moor. It is unfortunately broken, and the lower part
of the shaft is gone. We cannot but lament that this is so,
and deplore the spirit of wanton spoliation that has raised its
hand, here in the wilds, to strike this old relic low.

The portion that remains lies on the ground by the side
of the socket stone in which it was once fixed, and measures
one foot ten and a half inches across the arms, which are
eleven inches deep ; the shaft, or what is left of it, being two
feet four inches in height. It is eight and a half inches wide
below the arms, and the same immediately above them, but
gradually widens upwards, being nine and a half inches at
the top. The stone in which the socket is cut is very nearly
square, measuring two feet eight inches by two feet ten inches,
and is one foot nine inches in thickness. The socket measures
thirteen inches by eleven and a half, and is six inches deep,
the stone, which has been carefully shaped, has been moved
from its place, the earth around it having been cleared away,
and is now in a sloping position.

We find the socket-stones of several crosses on the moor
in this condition, and a moorman once told me it was
generally considered that they had been moved from their
beds by people who thought they might perhaps find under
them " a crock of gold." t That treasure seekers have in
many instances overthrown these crosses, and displaced the
stones in which they were fixed is not at all unlikely.

"This branch is known as Newleycombe Lake, and rises on the
southern slope of the high ground e.tstward of Cramber Tor.

f On Dartmoor these stones are called troughs, to which, indeed, they
.bear a great resemblance.

88 The Ancient Stone Crosses

Resuming our walk along the old road in an easterly
direction, we shall soon reach the ravine already observed,
and here, near ifs head, our track crosses the Devonport leat
at Older Bridge. Beyond the rising ground in front of us,
the path will bring us once more very near to Siward's
Cross, which, we shall now percieve, not only served as a
mark to the northern branch of the Abbots' Way, but also to
the path we are pursuing.

The cart-track goes on to the White Works, an abandoned
mine, where are several cottages, but we shall leave it on our
left, as it is certain the old path did not run in that direction.
Passing the cross we make our way down the valley to the
eastward, keeping on the slope of the hill which forms its
southern side, and shall thus avoid the extensive Fox Tor
Mire. It is here we shall find the pillar near which Dr.
Prowse discovered the stone bearing the cross in relief, as
mentioned in the preceding chapter.

On nearing Fox Tor, a fairly hard tract of ground, free
from heather, and which is known to the moormen as Sand
Parks, will be seen stretching from its foot towards the bog.
Our path lies across this, and when nearly opposite to the
tor, and about a quarter of a mile to the northward of it, we
shall discover an object which cannot fail to be regarded with
interest by all who find an attraction in the legendary lore of
Dartmoor.

This is Childe's Tomb, and it is on this spot the hunter of
the old tradition is supposed to have perished.

We first meet with the story of Childe in the pages of
Risdon, whose Survey was completed about 1630, and the tale
is still frequently related by the dwellers on the moor.

" And when the Christmas tale goes round

By many a peat fireside,
The children list, and shrink to hear

How Childe of Plymstoke died !" *

Risdon says, " It is left us by tradition that one Childe, of
Plimstoke, a man of fair possessions, having no issue, ordained,
by his will, that wheresoever he should happen to be buried,
to that church his lands should belong. It so fortuned, that

* Carrington. Ballad of Childe the Hunter.

Of Dartmoor and its Borderland. 89

he riding to hunt in the forest of Dartmore, being in pursuit
of his game, casually lost his company, and his way likewise.
The season then being so cold, and he so benumed therewith,
as he was enforced to kill his horse, and embowelled him, to
creep into his belly to get heat ; which not able to preserve
him, was there frozen to death ; and so found, was carried by
Tavistoke men to be buried in the church of that abbey ;
which was not so secretly done but the inhabitants of Plim-
stoke had knowledge thereof; which to prevent, they resorted
to defend the carriage of the corpse over the bridge, where,
they conceived, necessity compelled them to pass. But they
were deceived by a guile; for the Tavistoke men forthwith
built a slight bridge, and passed over at another place with-
out resistance, buried the body, and enjoyed the lands ; in
memory whereof the bridge beareth the name of Guilebridge
to this day."*

Further on, in his mention of Dartmoor, Risdon speaks of
" three remarkable things " existing there, and says " The

second is Childe's of Plimstock's tomb which

is to be seen in the moor, where he was frozen to death,
whereon these verses were once to be read:

" They fyrste that fyndes and brings mee to my grave,
The priorie of Plimstoke they shall have ! "f

The tomb continued perfect until about the year 1812,
when it was nearly destroyed by the workmen of a Mr.
Windeatt, who was building a farmhouse near by. In the
notes to Carrington's Dartmoor, published in 1826, it is said
to have consisted of a pedestal formed by three steps. The
lower one was composed of four stones, six feet long by
twelves inches square, and the upper ones of eight stones
more, which, of course, were smaller. On this was an
octagonal stone about three feet high, with a cross fixed
upon it. The writer of the notes also states that " a socket
and groove for the cross, and the cross itself, with its shaft
broken, are the only remains of the tomb," and further says
that no one recollected any traces of an inscription on it.

There are several versions of the couplet which Risdon
says was once engraven on the tomb, but in them no mention

* Survey of Devon, pp. 198, 199. Edit. 1811.
p. 223.

go The Ancient Stone Crosses

of a priory is made. Instead of this, " lands " are spoken of,
an alteration that later writers probably considered necessary,
when they saw that the retention of the word " priorie "
would cause the story to be looked upon with suspicion, as
we have no knowledge of the existence of any Priory of
Plimstock. It is, of course, possible that lands in that
parish may have been left to Tavistock Abbey in the
manner mentioned in the tradition, but if so, it was prob-
ably at an early period, for the manor was already in the
possession of that house at the time of the Domesday
Survey.

Risdon does not give us any hint as to the date of the
occurrence, but Prince states that Childe is supposed to have
lived in the reign of Edward III., but what reason there was
for such a supposition, we do not know.

Although Risdon tells us that Childe was buried at
Tavistock, yet he calls this monument on the moor a tomb,
and such it undoubtedly was. If, however, we are to believe
that Childe found a grave at the abbey, for what purpose was
this tomb on Dartmoor constructed ? We might imagine
that the "luckless hunter" being found frozen to death, was
interred on the spot by those who discovered him, in ignorance
of who he was ; and that afterwards, on his identity becoming
known, the monks of Tavistock opened the tomb and seized
his body, having first invented the story of his will, in order
to obtain possession of his lands, and that they then raised
the monument over the grave where he had first been buried.
The fact, however, of the stones of the kistvaen having had a
certain amount of labour expended on them, seems to pre-
clude the idea of a hasty burial, such as we should imagine
would have taken place on the body of a stranger found
on the moor.

It is possible that some confusion may have arisen, Childe,
there can scarcely be a doubt, being the same as the Saxon
Cild, a common and not a proper name. Risdon only relates
the story as a tradition, and as there is not the slightest
evidence forthcoming in confirmation of it, we can only look
upon it as a version of some old legend.

As to the name of Guile Bridge, Mr. A. J. Kemp
suggests that by this nothing more is implied than the
Guild bridge, "particularly as it leads immediately to the

Of Dartmoor and its Borderland. 91

guildhall of Tavistock ; " * and there is much more probability
of the correctness of this derivation, than of the punning
origin of the name as recorded by Risdon.

For years the exact site of the tomb of Childe the Hunter
was unknown, for the soil having partially covered the scanty
remains of it, and filled the stone sarcophagus, there was
little by which it might be distinguished. When by dint of
careful search I discovered it about twenty years ago, a small
mound and some half-buried stones were all that was to be
seen. Examination, however, soon convinced me that the
lost tomb was found, and that something still remained of
that which may certainly be regarded as one of the most
interesting among the objects of antiquity on Dartmoor.

The tomb itself I found to be a large kistvaen, of which
one of the end-stones and the cover-stone had been removed.
It was situated on a little mound, and there were appearances
which seemed to indicate that this had been surrounded by a
circle of upright stones, such as are often found enclosing
kistvaens on the moor. This mound was apparently about
fifteen feet in diameter, but it was not possible to take a
correct measurement, as it had been nearly destroyed by
the despoilers of the tomb. One side and one end of the
kistvaen were found to be intact. The side consisted of a
large block, five feet six inches long by two feet five inches
in depth, and having a thickness of about ten inches. The
stone which formed the other side was lying at the bottom of
the kist, and was not quite so long as its fellow. The end-
stone measured two feet eight inches across, the depth of
it being about the same as the large one.

The stones appeared to have been artificially shaped, the
kistvaen not being of such rude construction as the examples
generally found. On this account it would appear to be of
less antiquity, though in plan precisely similar.

Lying near the mound were three stones which had been
hewn into shape, and one of them I found to be rudely
sculptured. Unfortunately it had been broken, and one portion
was missing. It was the base in which the cross was once
fixed, the socket sunk in it still remaining in part. There
was much more design about it than is shown in the vignette

* Notices of Tavistock and its Abbey, p. 17.

92 The Ancictit Stow Crosses

in Carrington's Dartmoor, which, however, in its main features
is, probably, a correct representation of the tomb. The stone
measured two feet three inches across. At the distance of
thirteen inches from the bottom the corners were chamfered,
which gave it an octagonal shape, and five inches higher the
sides were sloped. This was continued to the top of the
stone, the slope measuring five inches.

One side of the socket, measuring eleven inches, was
entire, the greater part of another, measuring nine inches, and
a small portion of a third. Its depth was five inches.

Not far from this stone I found another, with smoothed
surfaces, three feet seven inches in length, and about thirteen
inches square. On one side it had not been worked through-
out, a portion in the centre about a third of its length being
left in a rough state. I consider this stone to be one of
those that formed the upper step of the pedestal or calvary,
the unworked side being, of course, the inner one. The
smoothed ends on that side were rendered necessary in order
to ensure its fitting closely against the stones which ran at
right angles to it. This stone shows us that the upper stage
of the pedestal was about three a^nd a. half feet square.

The third stone was discovered at the opposite side of the
mound, and was a much smaller one. It had been smoothed
and squared, but was only eighteen inches long, and was
evidently a fragment.

Such was all that my investigations on the site of the
venerable monument brought to light. Early in the nine-
teenth century it was standing in the solitude of the moor,
the storms and buffetings of the hundreds of winters that had
passed since first it was reared having left it uninjured. But
the spoliator came, and that which time had spared speedily
fell beneath his hand. We cannot but feel indignant when we
reflect upon the wanton destruction of this ancient
sepulchre.

The writer of the notes to Carrington's Dartmoor states
that some of the stones of the tomb were appropriated for build-
ing and doorsteps, but investigations made several years ago
lead me to believe that not many of them were taken to
the farmhouse. The three stages forming the pedestal were
composed, as already stated, of twelve stones, and of
these we have seen one lying near the kistvaen. Three

Of Dartmoor and its Borderland. 93

others, I was able to learn, did serve the purpose of steps at
the farmhouse, though I have never been fortunate enough to
discover them ; the remaining eight, however, I did find, and
they are happily uninjured.

Between the farmhouse (which is now a ruin, having been
abandoned for many years) and the tor, a small stream runs
down to fall into the Swincombe river just below. Not far
from the house a rude bridge spans this stream, composed of
stones laid side by side, and there being no central pier, reach-
ing from one bank to the other. These stones are eight in
number, and, without doubt, are those which helped to form
the pedestal of the tomb of the "Nimrod of the moor."

On making enquiries about the tomb some twenty years
ago, Richard Eden, a moorman of the south quarter, whom
I had known for a considerable time, and who was born at
Fox Tor farmhouse, about 1823, informed me that these stones
were always pointed out to him as having belonged to the
tomb, and he said he had heard that there were letters on the
under side of them.

This, of course, greatly interested me, and I was in hopes
that I should find traces of the couplet which Risdon says was
once to be seen on the monument.

A careful examination of these stones, which were raised
by means of crowbars, satisfied me, certainly, that they once
belonged to the tomb, but at the same time convinced me that
they had never borne any inscription whatever.

The longest of these stones measured seven feet and a
half ; two were seven feet, one was six feet ten inches, and
another six feet four inches in length, while the other three
were about five feet three inches each. The larger ones were
about twenty inches in width, but not quite so much in
thickness, and the smaller were about fourteen or fifteen
inches wide. These stones had all been worked in a manner
somewhat similar to the one I have described as lying near
the kistvaen.

The result of my investigations was not a little gratifying.
That I had recovered nine stones out of the twelve which
formed the pedestal on which the sculptered base had rested,
there could not be a doubt. From the measurements left us
by Carrington, and the vignette, I saw it would be an easy
task to reconstruct the tomb, and by bringing the matter to

94 The Ancient Stone Crosses

the notice of those interested in the antiquities of the moor, I
hoped to see its restoration undertaken.

This, however, has never been accomplished. It was
deemed better to allow the various parts of the old monu-
ment to lie where they were, a reproach to the Dartmoor
antiquary, and to simply mark its site by setting up on a few
of the stones thrown over the kistvaen, a new base and a
new cross ! No regard whatever was paid to the known form
of the tomb, and it would have been far better had it been
left untouched.

But we will express a hope that the re-erection of Childe's
Tomb may yet be undertaken. Three stones, and the repair
of the socket-stone, are all that is needed, with the exception
of the cross, to render the parts complete.

Where is the cross ? It was seen about 1823, and again
in 1825. In the former year the Rev. J. P. Jones published
his Observations on the Antiquities in the Neighbourhood of Moreton-
hampstead, and in it he states that a gentleman informed him
that a cairn three miles south of the prison at Princetown had
been pointed out to him as Childe of Plymstock's tomb, and
that a cross was lying near the cairn, a great part of which
was destroyed. The situation of the tomb is not given quite
correctly, but there is no reason to doubt it was that object
which Mr. Jones saw. In 1825 it was visited by Carrington,
and, as we have already seen, the cross was then lying by the
tomb, with its shaft broken. It must, however, have been
removed within a few years after, as Eden, the moorman told
me that he did not remember seeing anything of the kind
there in his childhood. In 1881 I found the head of a cross in
a corner of the Fox Tor enclosures, about half-a-mile from the
tomb. Though it is obviously impossible to pronounce it to
be the one that once surmounted it, it is not altogether un-
likely, as we shall see when we come to examine it. If the
restoration of the tomb were decided upon, I would again
uggest that this fragment be set upon a shaft, and fixed in
the ancient socket-stone. It would preserve it, and there
would be less need of new work.

Whatever may be the truth of the tale of Childe of
Plymstock, it is certain that something above the ordinary
attached to this old tomb, or we should not have found such a
monument erected over it. There being so few traditions

Of Dartmoor and its Borderland. 95

relating to objects of this kind on the moor, its restoration is
rendered doubly desirable.

As we stand beside the dismantled tomb, we shall perhaps
feel a melancholy pleasure in giving the rein to our imagina-
tion, and looking round upon the lonely valley, endeavour to
picture it as the " highland hunter " beheld it in the gloom of
that winter evening, when the furious storm beat over him,
and, exhausted and weary, he halted beneath the tor and felt
he would never reach his home —

For far and wide the highland lay

One pathless waste of snow ;
He paused ! — the angry heaven above,

The faithless bog below."*

No shelter is at hand, and death stares the bold hunter in
the face. But love of life is strong within him ; by slaying
his horse and creeping within its disembowelled carcase, he
may shield himself from the falling snow. He gazes upon
the trusty steed, and the hand that clasps his hunting knife
falls powerless by his side. He cannot take the life of that
noble animal which has so often borne him over the wide
moor. With his head bent low before the raging storm he
is pressing close to his master's side, as though for protection,
and Childe can scarce suppress a tear as he regards him.
But the snow is now deep around them, and further hesita-
tion will involve the hunter's death. Turning away his face
that he may not meet the animal's eye as he strikes the
blow, Childe plunges his blade into the heart of the faithful
brute —

" And on the ensanguined snow that steed
Soon stretched his noble form : —

A shelter from the biting blast —
A bulwark to the storm : —

In vain — for swift the bleak wind piled

The snow-drift round the corse ;
And Death his victim struck within

The disembowell'd horse."f

Bidding adieu to this spot, we shall cross the brook which
flows down in front of the ruined farmhouse, and mount the
hill on the opposite side. A path known to the moormen as
Sandy Way runs near here, which, coming up from Fox Tor

* Carrington. Ballad of Childe the Hunter f/fe/rf

96 The Ancient Stone Crosses

Mire, goes by way of Aune, or Avon, Head to Holne, and is
a shorter route to that place than the one we find marked out
by the crosses. We leave the farmhouse on our left, and soon
reach the eastern corner of the new take, where close beside
the hedge we shall find a very perfect cross.

I took the dimensions of it in the summer of 1878, when it
was lying on the ground, in an opening in the wall of the
enclosure. It is six feet in height, and two feet four inches
across the arms. From the upper surface of these to the top
of the shaft it measures nine inches. One of the top
corners of the shaft is not square, but there is no appear-
ance of a fracture, so that this want of uniformity seems to be
owing to the natural shape of the stone. The corners of the
shaft on one side are chamfered at a distance of one foot six
inches from the bottom. The angles of this cross are not
sharply cut, and it has a rather rude appearance. A few
yards from it, fixed firmly in the ground with which its
upper surface was level, was the stone on which it had been
set up, with a socket of sufficient size to receive the shaft, and
of a depth of five inches.

On again visiting the spot in 1879, I was greatly pleased
at finding this cross erect, but what was my regret when on
passing it in May, 1881, 1 found it was once more prostrate.*
For a few years it remained in this ignoble position, but in
1885 it was set UP» through the instrumentality of the Dart-
moor Preservation Association, and in the good work I was
privileged to assist. The shaft was fixed in the socket with
cement, and there is no reason to suppose that it will again be
displaced.

Siward's Cross bears nearly due west from this cross, and a
straight line from one to the other would pass almost close to
Childe's Tomb.

On the occasion of my visit to this spot in 1881, I found
the opening in the wall of the new-take had been built up, and
that the workmen in obtaining stones for the purpose had
unearthed the remains of another cross, f This is the one I

* This cross was probably overturned by cattle. I know it to hare
been upset more than once during the times of the forest drifts.

| Fox Tor New take was one of the enclosures taken by Mr. Lamb>
who about that time commenced the folding of Scotch sheep on the moor.
The wall, or rather hedge, of stone and turf, being rather dilapidated in
places, then underwent complete repair.

h

u

Of Dartmoor and its Borderland. 97

suggest may once have surmounted Childe's Tomb. There
is nothing improbable in the supposition, as it may very well
have been brought to the house, and not being required there,
removed with other material for the wall. It consisted only
of the top part of the shaft, with one complete arm, and
a portion of the other, and it had evidently been buried for
some time. It does not appear to have been quite so large as
the one just described. From the top of the shaft to the point
of fracture it measures one foot nine inches, and from the
extremity of the uninjured arm to the end of the remaining
portion of the other, it is two feet one inch.

We now ascend the slope in front of us, still pursuing an
easterly direction, and shall soon reach a grassy track, not
very plainly marked, except for a short distance, but yet
discernible in its course through the heather. Ere we have
proceeded far we shall come upon a cross lying by the side of
the path, the shaft of which has been broken, but is now
repaired.

When I was first informed, by one who had spent all his
days in the vicinity, of the existence of crosses on this hill,
the stone we have reached lay beside another, now standing
erect, rather over a hundred yards distant. A few years later,
having brought the matter to the notice of the Dartmoor
Preservation Association, it was decided, in 1885, to re-erect
them and others in the neighbourhood, the one we have just
examined in Fox Tor Newtake being among the number.
This cross was moved to its present situation merely for the
reason that to have erected it where it lay would have meant
placing it almost close to its fellow.

Mr. E. Fearnley Tanner, the honorary secretary of the
Association, conducted the operations, and under his direction
holes were drilled in the sides of the shaft, and the pieces
clamped together. A portion being missing, they did not fit
closely, and it cannot be said that the work was altogether
satisfactory. However, the cross was set upright in a hole in
the ground, there being no socket-stone in which to fix it.
In consequence of this it is much to be regretted that it did
not long remain erect. One of its arms across which was
a deep crack was broken off, soon after it was set up, by
cattle using it as a rubbing-post. It has remained in its
present prostrate position for years, but if a socket-stone two

H

98 The Ancient Stone Crosses

feet or more in height were provided it might yet stand erect
without danger of being overthrown.

The shaft, as now repaired, is about five and a half feet
long, but, as already observed, a portion of it is missing. It
appears to have been of similar size to the cross beside which
it was found, the width across the arms, before the fracture,
being precisely the same, namely, two feet two inches.
Immediately under the arms it is eleven inches wide, and
above them narrows a little towards the top.

Directing our steps to the other cross, we shall find it to
be a very fine one, and in a complete state, with the exception
of a slight injury to the shaft, a small piece having been
broken off one of the corners. Its height is six feet six
inches, as measured when it lay upon the turf ; its breadth
across the arms has just been stated. The depth of these
is nine inches, and from their upper surface to the top of the
shaft the distance is thirteen inches. The width of the shaft
is about ten inches, and the thickness of it about two inches
less. Before setting it up we slightly deepened the socketr
into which we placed cement, and made the stone firm in
which it was cut. This is a block three feet three inches long,
by two feet five inches wide.

The late Mr. Coaker, of Sherburton, an estate situated on
the tongue of land which is peninsulated by the Swincombe
river and the West Dart, several years ago removed this
cross, and set it up in the courtyard of his farm. But on this
becoming known to the Duchy authorities he was obliged to
restore it to its original site, and there it lay until its
re-erection in 1885 The damage to the shaft, which for-
tunately is only trifling, was probably done in removing it.

The track, which the line of crosses we are noticing appears
to mark, is here very plainly to be discerned. This is how-
ever, owing in great measure to this part of the path having
been used within the past hundred years. I have learned in
the neighbourhood that when the farmhouse near Fox Tor
was built, the timber used in its construction was drawn to
the site by a yoke of oxen along this route, and that it is this
nineteenth century traffic that we see the marks of now. The
grass and the heather have, in many places, long since
obliterated the traces of the passing to and fro of the early
wayfarer, but the crosses which here and there are found prove

Of Dartmoor and its Borderland. 99

the existence of the path, and in this present instance we see
the old road which they were set up to mark, made use of after
the lapse of several centuries.

A fine view of the central parts of the moor is presented
from the high ground on which we stand, and which is known
in the vicinity as Terrell — probably Ter Hill.* Numerous
hills and tors, which, as yet, we have not seen in our rambles,
are now revealed, with many other objects of interest.
Princetown lies about north-west, and more to the right and
nearer, is Prince Hall, with its plantations of fir. Towards
the north Bellaford Tor forms a striking objert, with Lough
Tor not far from it, below which is Dunnabridge Pound, the
enclosure to which cattle and ponies are driven when found
unclaimed at the time of the forest drifts. Many moor-farms
with here and there a clump of firs, and long lines of grey wall,
are also seen, for from this spot we look upon the greater
number of the forest enclosures. Hameldon, huge and majes-
tic, rises towards the north-east, and nearer and more to the
right are Yar Tor, Sharp Tor and Mil Tor, three heights above
the left bank of the Dart.

Turning towards the east we shall observe a hollow,
which is known as Skir Gut, down which flows a small
stream. This is the Wobrook which rising not very far from
the source of the Avon, runs in the opposite direction to that
river, and after a course of no great length, passes under
Saddle Bridge, and empties itself into the West Dart a short
distance below the hamlet of Hexworthy.

We shall notice that the stream makes an abrupt turn
towards the east, as we descend the eastern side of Ter Hill.
Below the bend the rising ground on the left bank is known
as Down Ridge, and it is towards this we must now make
our way.

On gaining the boitom of the descent, a path will be
observed running at right angles to the direction which we

*On the m >or I have invariably heard this hill called Terrell, but I
have adopted a form ot spelling which appears to me to be the correct
one. Until my first notice of the hHl, in 1883, it had never been mentioned
by any writer. On the latest Ordnance Map it is marked as I have
rendered ii — Ter Hill. It may therefore be necessary to explain that not
only was a list of Dartmoor place-names submitted to me for revision
beiore being engra%red on the map, but that I also added several.

ioo The Ancient Stone Crosses

are following, and crossing the Wobrook at a place called
Skir Ford, immediately where the stream turns so abruptly.
This old path runs from Hexworthy to the springs of the
Avon, and is used by the farmers to bring in their peat.

Leaving the stream a little to the right, we shall notice
several small heaps of stones, placed at intervals along the
slope. These little mounds which are met with in various
parts of Dartmoor are called by the moormen stannaburrows,
which name is probably derived from the same root as the
word stannary, and they were probably tin bounds set up
by the miners. After passing several of these mounds, we
shall reach one by the side of which stands a cross.

The upper portion of this cross lay for years on the
ground, but in 1883 I asked a farmer who lives at Hexworthy,
near by, named Samuel Smith, to set it up on the mound, and
this he did. The lower part of the shaft, measuring about
three feet in length lay near by partly buried in the soil.
Two years later, on the occasion of the re-erecting the crosses
on Terhill, we also repaired this one, clamping the two pieces
together, and setting it up by the mound. It was afterwards
thrown down, as there was no socket in which to secuie it,
but it is gratifying to know that it is now again standing
erect.

The shaft is about six feet high, and the fracture runs
obliquely across its middle ; it is rather more than one foot in
width, but scarcely eight inches thick. Across the arms the
width is two feet five inches, and they are ten inches deep.
The head rises about seven or eight inches above them, and
is worn a good deal ; in fact the cross has altogether a very
weather-beaten appearance.

In a direction nearly due east, we shall observe on the
brow of the hill on the further side of the Wobrook, a small
mound, and within a few score yards of this we shall presently
find the remains of another of the interesting abjects of which
we are in search. Between it, however, and the cross we
have just been examining, and almost in a line with them, is
another, directing us to a fording place over the stream. We
shall therefore proceed to an inspection of this relic, which is
within a few hundred yards of the spot on which we stand.

For many years I was unable to find this cross. I had been
informed by a labourer who lived a long time at Hexworthy,

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Of Dartmoor and its Borderland. 101

that a cross existed not far from the ford, but my searches for
it were unattended with success. My informant, although he
had never been able to describe the exact spot where he had
seen it, and admitted that this had been years before, was yet
positive that he was not mistaken. In the summer of 1884 he
made a search for it, and with the result that he re-discovered
it, and told me of the circumstance. I found that it consisted
of the head and arms and a small portion of the shaft, but
this being partly covered with turf and heather, its real
character was not readily recognizable.

From the top of the shaft to the fracture, which is just
below the arms, it measured only two feet ; across the arms
it was three inches more than this, and they projected seven
inches from the shaft. Partly buried in the earth close by
was a portion of the broken shaft. This mutilated cross is
now fixed in an erect position, on the spot where for so long
it remained hidden.

Descending to the stream, which at the foot of Dry Lakes
makes another abrupt turn, we shall reach the crossing-place
to which the traveller of days gone by was directed by this
roughly hewn stone. This is named Horse Ford, and is
paved with flat stones, which would seem to indicate that
a considerable amount of traffic at one time passed this way.
On one of these, on the east side of the ford, is cut a large
letter H, denoting the boundary of the parish of Holne, which
we have now reached, for on passing over the Wobrook we
are no longer in the forest, the stream here forming its limit.

From Horse Ford an ancient road ran down the valley, on
the right bank of the Wobrook, and although traces of it are
wanting for some little distance, it is plainly to be seen lower
down. Below Saddle Bridge it can be traced to the West
Dart which it crossed at Week Ford, and again entered the
forest, and there it may still be seen running through the
enclousures towards the little modern chapel at Huccaby.
Thence it went to Dartmeet, where was a clapper, now in part
restored, and a ford, and crossing the river entered the parish
of Widecombe.

But our purpose does not need that we should follow this
road very far. We therefore leave it at Saddle Bridge, where
we enter upon the highway from Holne to Princetown, along
which we make our way in a north-westerly direction for about

io2 The Ancient Stone Crosses

three quarters of a mile to Hexworthy, one of the ancient
settlements of the forest. Here we find not a cross upon
which the storms of hundreds of Dartmoor winters have left
their mark, but one of quite recent erection. On the common
not far from the Forest Inn, a little wayside hostelry, is Queen
Victoria's Cross, set up in October, 1897, to commemorate the
Diamond Jubilee of Her late Majesty

It having been decided by the inhabitants of the forest that
a cross would be a fitting memorial of the event, a committee
was appointed to arrange the details of the matter, and so great
was the interest shown, that the desired end was speedily
accomplished. The cross, which is of Dartmoor granite, made
at the quarries of the Messrs. Duke, at Merivale Bridge, is a
very handsome one. It stands on a pedestal of three stages,
rising to a height of about four and a half feet. On this
is a tapering shaft, surmounted by a head in the form of a
Maltese cross, the arms of which are connected by a circlet ;
the top of this is seven feet ten inches above the pedestal.
On the shaft is engraven " V.R., 1837-1897," and the base
bears a suitable inscription. A goodly number of people
attended the unveiling, at which there was an appropriate
service.

Returning to the Wobrook and reaching the mound near
Horse Ford, we shall continue to trace the path by which we
have crossed the forest, but shall not proceed far ere we
perceive the broken cross to which we have already alluded.

It is known as Horn's Cross, and has been very sadly
mutilated, nothing but a small portion of the upper part of the
shaft, with one complete arm, and what appears to be a piece
of the other, now remaining. It is, however, uncertain
whether what looks likes an arm may not really be the top
of the shaft. This piece is one foot ten inches across, and
the other is but one foot four inches. The width of the
former is ten inches, and of the latter piece nine inches, the
thickness of it being eight inches A small fragment of stone,
probably a portion of the shaft, lies near it.

The socket stone is two feet eleven inches by two feet nine
inches, the socket itself measuring one foot two and a half
inches, by ten and a half inches, the depth of it being nine
inches. From the size of this socket it is evident that the
shaft of the cross must have been a great deal wider at the

Of Dartmoor and its Borderland. 103

base than at the arms. The stone has been disturbed, being
now in a slanting position, and only partly buried in the
ground.

Our way is here seen as a distinctly marked path, and is
crossed by another, which is now used by the moor farmers in
going from the neighbourhood of Hexworthy to Brent. This
latter track runs from Cumston or Combestone Tor, to the
higher part of the old working connected with Ringleshutts
Mine, and crossing Sandy Way goes direct to the Mardle, a
little stream which flows by Scoriton. This it crosses at a
place called Hapstead Ford, and thence trending along the
side of the hill, passes the bottom of a rocky gully known to
the moor-men as Snowdon Hole, and so onward by Pupers to
Water Oke Corner. Here the Abbots' Way must have passed,
although it is not traceable across the turf at this particular
spot, but, as already stated, is plainly to be seen at the ford
below Brock Hill Mire, a little more than half a mile distant.
It is also to be observed in the opposite direction, pointing to
a ford at Cross Furzes. The path to Brent goes onward to
the enclosed country at Dockwell Gate.

Horn's Cross was probably erected on the spot where we
now find it lying in a shattered condition, not only to mark
the path across the forest, but to show where the branch
diverged to Widecombe, and also where it was crossed by the
Brent path.* The track we have followed from Lowery we
shall be able to trace to a ford known as Workman's Ford,
not far below Ringleshutts Mine, whence it went direct to
Holne.

It was the belief of the labourer — William Mann, of
Hexworthy — who discovered the cross on Down Ridge near
the ford, that there was also a cross somewhere on Holne
Moor, but he was not absolutely certain of it. Such may
exist in a fallen state, but I have never been able to find it.

* Many years ago a farmer of Staddicombe. in Holne parish, used to
pasture a flock of sheep with a moorman of the south quarter of the forest,
and these were always gathered at Horn's Cross. Here the process of
counting, or 'telling " was gone through, and from this circumstance the
spot came to be known as Stacombe Telling-place. I gathered this about
twenty-five years since from a moorman who had lived in the south
quarter all his life. It is an instance of how a number of the place-names
of Dartmoor have originated.

104 The Ancient Stone Crosses

From Workman's Ford on the Wennaford Brook we shall
proceed in a south-easterly direction to the moor gate, and
following the road shall soon reach the village of Holne.
Here in the churchyard near a fine old yew, will be found
a cross, standing on a modern pedestal of three steps. The
shaft, which is four feet three inches high, is of a tapering
form, and thirty-four inches in girth at the bottom, which
lessens to thirty and a half immediately under the arms, and
to twenty-seven at the top of the head. Both it and the
arms are octagonal in shape ; the latter measuring two feet
three inches across, and twenty-nine inches in girth. At the
corners of the octagon, both on the shaft and arms, there are
mouldings, which give this cross an appearance that is not
a little striking. The cross stands by a grave, where lies
buried a son of the vicar.

Mr. Robert Burnard in his Dartmoor Pictorial Records states
that the shaft was found acting as a gate-post, and that Mrs.
Bridget Lane, who died in 1870, at the age of 92, caused new
arms to be set in it, and furnishing it with a pedestal, placed
it in the churchyard. So neatly had the arms been fixed
that the marks of the fracture are not readily discernible.

In another part of the little churchyard will be found a
curious epitaph, and one that has been noticed by several
writers. Portions of some of the lines are now obliterated,
the slate stone upon which they are graven having become
worn. The renderings differ in some slight particulars, but
by carefully examining the stone, I have found the following
to be a correct version —

Here lies Poor Old Ned,
On his last Mattrass bed,
During life he was honest and free ;
He knew well the Chace
But has now run his Race
And his Name was Collins D'ye fee.
Dec. 1780, Aged 77.

In the parish register of burials under the date 1780, is the
following entry : •* December 29, Edward Collings."

At Holne in 1819, Charles Kingsley was born. His father
merely resided there temporarily, afterwards removing to
Clovelly, so that only the earliest years of the distinguished

Of Dartmoor and its Borderland. 105

writer were spent in this moorland parish. His boyhood was
passed on that part of the North Devon coast made so familiar
to the readers of Westward Ho !

From the village we direct our steps to Play Cross, in
which place it is not improbable that we see the original site
of the cross now in the churchyard. Descending Langaford
Hill we shall proceed by the Buckfastleigh Road towards
Hawson, and near the gate leading to the farm shall discover
another object of interest. It is the upper portion of a large
cross, built into a wall, and was placed there several years
since, when the entrance to the farm, close to which it
previously stood, was altered. One of the arms was broken
off by the wheel of a waggon, but the fragment was
fortunately preserved, and is now in its proper position.
The cross is some forty or fifty yards from the gate,
where I remember seeing it for several years, but it
originally stood, I have been told, close to an old oak near
the junction of roads hard by. It is now thirty-three inches
high, the width of the shaft being nine and a half inches.
The depth of the arms is greater than this, being ten and a
half inches, and they measure thirty one inches across. The
head rises eleven inches above them.

Passing through pleasant lanes, and noticing on our left an
eminence, clothed on one side with trees, and on the summit
of which is the ancient hill-fort of Hembury Castle, we shall
at the distance of about two miles and a half approach the
spot where once stood the abbey of Buckfast. The date of
its enlargement — 1137 — has generally been given as that of its
foundation, but this was much earlier. We know from
Domesday that there was a religious house, having consider-
able possessions, at a place named Bulfestra, and this place,
Mr. J. Brooking Rowe says, there can be no question was
Buckfast Abbey.* Within recent years new buildings have
been erected upon the site of this ancient house, and again
does the monk dwell by the waters of the Dart. A religious
community, expelled from France, acquired the site of the
abbey, and in 1882, the hymn of praise and the voice of

* There is therefore reason for believing the Abbots' Way to be a very
ancient track indeed. Siward's Cross, besides being a bond stone, may
have marked the path even in the Confessor's time.

io6 The Ancient Stone Crosses

supplication was once more heard on that spot from which
nearly three centuries and a half before many a poor brother
had turned sadly away.

We have reached the end of the green path across the
moor. It is silent now, and no one journeys over it, save the
herdsman and the upland farmer, or the wanderer seeking, as
we have done, to learn something of its character, and to look
upon its crumbling waymarks. We have seen the path made
by the passing of the abbot's palfrey, and the packhorse of the
merchant ; we have gazed upon the valley where once uprose
Buckfast's Abbey walls, and it needs soon that we return to
the banks of the Tavy.

But for a brief space this side of the moor will yet detain
us. In the neigbouring town of Ashburton there is that we
should see, and thither we now make our way. Proceeding
towards Dart Bridge, we pass on our right the hill on which
is Buckfastleigh Church, approached from the town, which
lies on the other side of it, by a toilsome ascent of a hundred
and ninety-five steps. The church possesses a spire, the only
one to be seen in the whole of the Dartmoor parishes, and
from its elevated situation is a prominent object in the land-
scape for many miles round. In the churchyard is an old
cross, erected over forty years ago by Lady Littler to the
memory of one of her family. It had been purchased by
Mr. R. J. King, who intended to set it up on Dartmoor, whence
it was said to have been brought. But he left the neighbour-
hood before he was able to carry out his project, and Lady Littler
coming to reside at Bigadon, Mr. King's former seat, there
found the cross, and used it as a memorial.

A pleasant stroll of some two miles will bring us to Ash-
burton, an ancient town with many historic associations. In
a courtyard in St. Lawrence Lane, a thoroughfare named
after the old chantry, the tower of which still stands and now
belongs to the Grammar Sehool, may be seen the base of a
cross, which has been hollowed out and converted into a trough.
It is one foot high, and its shape is octagonal, each of the sides
measuring about eighteen inches. There is a plinth, and a
moulding round the top, but it is somewhat worn. It has been
in its present situation for many years, and was brought, it is
said, from Ladwell Orchard, which is not far off. It is, however,
supposed that it originally stood by a little spring on the out-

Of Dartmoor and its Borderland. 107

skirts of the town, called Gulwell, and supported an old cross
which we shall now proceed to examine.

A path running behind the houses will take us to the
entrance to a field known as Stone Park, across which we
make our way to a lane, when we shall observe the spring
immediately without the gate. Its water has long been
considered of great efficacy in cases of weak eyes, and it has
been suggested that its name is a corruption of that of the
patron of blind people, Gudula, a Flemish saint, to whom the
spring was perhaps dedicated. The Rev. S. Baring-Gould
does not, however, incline to this belief, but thinks that we see
in the name of the well that of Gulval, a Celtic saint. We
shall not find the cross here, but at a farm a little further on,
and which bears the same name as the well.

In the lane, and quite close to the wall of the garden in
front of the farm house, is a small mounting-block, the top of
which is formed by a portion of the interesting object we have
come to see. This consists of the shaft only, and if it really
was brought from the spring it must have been long ago, for
I learnt in 1892 from the late Mr. Perry, the owner of
Gulwell, who was then eighty three years of age, that it was /T . i
in its present situation in the time of his grandfather. The v
piece of shaft is five feet three inches in length, and for a &j< V& ty"
distance of two feet from the bottom is eleven inches square. .A.f'^^l
Above this it is octagonal, the sides being alternately four and
five inches across. The stone is much worn, and would
seem, from two holes that are drilled in it, to have been used
at some time as a gate-post. The head and arms of this cross
are in a building in the farm-court, and upon this portion a
large cider vat is resting.

The neighbourhood of Ashburton is full of the picturesque.
Our visit to it now has been a brief one, but ere our
wanderings are over, we shall look again upon the hills
that encircle it.

io8 The Ancient Stone Crosses

CHAPTER XI.
From the Tavy to the Taw.

Tavistock — Old Market Cross — Hermitage of St. John — Inscribed Stones —
A Period of Re igious Activity — Tavistock Abbey — Remains of Cross
at Peter Tavy — Steven's Grave — Longtimber Tor — Miry Tavy Clam —
Mary Tavy Cross — Forstal Cross— Brent Tor — Lydford— Bra Tor —
Base at Sourton — Cross on Sourton Down — An Ancient Inscription —
Cross formerly at Okehampton — North Lew Cross — Okehampton
Park — Cross at Fitz's Well — Pixy-led Travellers — Inscribed Stones at
Belstone and Sticklepath.

There is much of interest to be seen in and around
Tavistock, both from a picturesque and an antiquarian point
of view, but one object it formerly possessed it now lacks —
vandalism or carelessness has robbed it of its old market-
cross.

In relating some matters connected with the town, Mrs.
Bray in her Tamar and Tavy has a passing reference to it.

" William, the first Duke of Bedford," she says, " built a
house for the schoolmaster, and gave him a ' little herb-
garden,' rent free. Adjoining the same, and then situated
within the churchyard, was the school-house belonging to the
town ; which John, Earl of Bedford, by his deed poll, dated
the 6th of Edw. VI., granted for two hundred years with tolls
and profits of three fairs, with a court of pypowder, and a
weekly market on Fridays, as benefactions. Since which the
town has built at its own cost a market-house, where the
cross formerly stood." " All which profits and liberties," con-
tinues Mrs. Bray, quoting from a survey and valuation of the
site of the abbey of Tavistock, made in 1726, •' are within the
borough of Tavistock, and for the use of the school-master."*
Whether we are to gather from this that the town authorities
removed the cross when about to build their market-house, or
whether it had been destroyed earlier, is not quite clear,
though the former seems the more probable.

*Tamar and Tavy (ist. ed.) Vol. III., p. 166.

Of Dartmoor and its Borderland. 109

Mr. A. J. Kempe, the brother of Mrs. Bray, in a paper in
the Gentleman's Magazine, entitled Notices of Tavistock and its
Abbey, makes mention of another cross, for in speaking of
the hermitage of St. John, which was situated not far from
the town, he says, " The holy well is still to be seen with the
remains of a cross at its entrance." Mrs Bray does not seem
to have been aware of the existence of the latter, for in 1832,
two years after the publication of Mr. Kempe's article, she
says that no memorial of the hermitage remained with the
exception of a spring of the purest kind, while from a passage
in Miss Evans' Home Scenes ; or, Tavistock and its Vicinity,
published in 1846. the cross would appear still to have been
there. The hermitage was opposite the lower end of the
walk by the river under the abbey walls, and in describing
this Miss Evans says, '• Farther down is another cascade — a
natural one, boiling and foaming by, as if scorning the small
clear drops that trickle into its heaving bosom from a font,
supposed from the remains of a broken cross by its side to
have been a holy well, belonging to the hermitage and chapel
of St John." * Mrs. Bray refers to an inventory of the
treasures of Tavistock Church, preserved among the parish
documents, in which mention is made of a hermit having
bequeathed to it a silver crucifix, containing a piece of the
wood of the true cross, and considers that this was probably
the recluse of the cell of St. John

In the vicarage garden, which is adjoining the Bedford
Hotel, are three ancient inscribed stones, one of which was
found in the town, the other two being those we have alluded
to as having been discovered at Buckland Monachorum.
They were brought hither and placed in the garden in order
to preserve them. Of the existence of the first the Rev.
E. A. Bray was informed in 1804 by his father, who in 1780
had caused it to be removed from West Street, where it had
formed part of the pavement. This was done in consequence
of its having become so slippery as to constitute a danger,
and Mr. Bray said he thought he recollected having seen
letters on it. This was found to be so, when the Rev. E. A.
Bray visited the stone, which had been taken some half mile
from the town to form a bridge over a mill leat. He had it

"Home Scenes, p. 37.

no The Ancient Stone Crosses

conveyed to the garden of the abbey house, and on the present
vicarage being built for him in 1818, caused it to be taken
there and set up where we see it now. The inscription,,
which is in two lines, reads — NEPRANI FILI CONDEVI (or
Conbevi), showing us that the stone was originaly erected to
the memory of Nepranus,son of Condevus (or Conbevus). Its
height is said to be five feet eight inches, and its width one
foot eight inches.

Of the stones from Buckland,one was brought to the place
it now occupies by Mr. Bray in 1831, and the other by Mr.
Hastings Russell, afterwards Duke of Bedford, in 1868. The
first of the^e Mr. Bray found in 1804, serving as a coigne to a
blacksmith's shop, near the churchyard at Buckland. having
learnt of its existence from Polwhele's History of Cornwall.
Twenty-seven years later he saw it lying on the ground, the
blacksmith's shop having been taken down, and on applying
to the lord of the manor, Sir Ralph Lopes, the stone was
presented to him, and Mr. Bray removed it to Tavistock on a
waggon drawn by three horses. As it stood when set up in
his garden its height was a little over seven feet, and its
breadth at the bottom seventeen inches and at the top four-
teen. The inscription on this stone, also in two lines, is
SABIN « FIL « MACCODECHET « , of Sabinus, son of Maccodechetus.

The other Buckland stone Mr. Bray found with difficulty,
having received no definite information as to its situation. It
was serving as a gate-post in a field between Roborough
Down and the village, and though Mr. Bray tried to obtain
possession of it, he was unable to do so. Its height is less
than that of its fellows, being only about four feet. The
inscription which it bears is in three lines, and like those on
the others, runs lengthwise. It reads — DOBUNN " FABRIFILI
NABARR — of Dubnnnius Faber, son of Nabarrus, or Enabarrus ;
or it may mean, as Mr. Bray suggests, of Faber, of the
Dobunni, son of Enabarrus. But what renders this stone
particularly interesting is the fact of its not only bearing this
inscription in the Roman character, but also in the Oghamr
(ante. p. 33) so that we have here, as in the case of the Fardle
Stone, proof that in this part of the country the symbol of the
old Irish language was understood. Indeed, Mr. Brash,
author of the learned work on inscriptions in the Ogham
character, considers the first name on the stone, and alsa

Of Dartmoor and its Borderland. in

Nabarr to be Irish. Mr. R. N. Worth, in his History of
Devon, says that the inscribed stones of this corner of the
county, probably indicate " a period of active mission work on
the part of the Irish church, somewhere about the latter part
of the fifth and first half of the sixth century."

The abbey of Tavistock, dedicated to S.S. Mary and
Rumon, was not completed until 981, twenty years after its
foundation, and then had a brief existence of sixteen \ ears
only, being burned to the ground by the Danes in 997. But
it would appear that it was not long permitted to remain in a
ruined condition, for in 1032 we hear of its second abbot,
Livingus, being promoted by Canute to the See of Credition.
The last of the abbots, and according to Dr. Oliver, the
fortieth, was John Peryn.

On the northern borderland of Dartmoor are several
crosses and inscribed stones, and for the purpose of ex-
amining these we shall now resume our wanderings. We
therefore leave the old town of Tavistock with its historic
associations, and make our way by the Okehampton road to
Harford Bridge, which we shall cross, and after a pleasant
walk, each step drawing us nearer to the moor, shall reach the
secluded village of Peter Tavy.

In Miss Evans' Home Scenes, than which it would be
difficult to find a more charming work descriptive of a rural
district, is a notice of Peter Tavy, and a reference to a cross
that formerly existed there. From a former sexton who
remembered it perfectly well, I learnt several years ago
that it stood at a short distance from the churchyard gate.
The roadway being narrow, the cross was found to be in the
way of the mourners, so the sexton told me, at funerals, and
it was consequently taken down, and the stones composing
the pedestal thrown on one side. I have not been able to
ascertain when this was done, as the sexton could only fix
the time by stating that it took place when the school was
removed from the building close by, and which is now a
cottage. However, it must have been prior to 1846, as Miss
Evans' book was published in that year, and when she wrote
the cross had disappeared.

On the low wall of the churchyard are laid coping stones
of granite, and one of these, on the right of the gate in
entering, is wider than its fellows. This stone is none other

H2 The Ancient Stone Crosses

than the base that once supported the cross, turned upside
down. It is nearly square, measuring thirty-three by thirty
inches, and is sixteen inches high, and the top edge is
bevelled. On the left of the gate, close outside the wall,
are five granite stones laid on the ground so as to form a kind
of low seat. These stones, I learn, formed part of the
pedestal on which the cross stood. They are over a foot
square, are all worked stones, and at the end of one there is
a tenon. Two of them are about three feet in length, and two
are several inches less than this, while the other is about
three feet and a half.

A fragment of what is very probably the shaft of this
cross is built into a wall near the brook that runs through the
village. It was first noticed by the Rev. W. A. G. Gray, the
former rector of Meavy.

It is saddening to reflect that this cross should have been
so wantonly destroyed. That such objects are permitted to
become dilapidated through neglect is a matter for much
regret, but it is doubly deplorable when they are swept away
by an act of vandalism.

Some worked stones may also be seen in a mounting-
block near the cottage door hard by, and opposite this there is
one doing duty as a small gate-post, but this has the appear-
ance of a piece of an old mullion.

The quiet of the churchyard at Peter Tavy is wonderfully
striking on a summer day, for then the foliage of the noble
trees that grow within it, completely embosoming the church,
hides all but a bit of blue sky from view, and the visitor
feels that he is truly alone with those who sleep beneath the
green turf, upon which a patch of sunshine is here and there
seen, as the sun darts his rays through some opening in the
leafy canopy. Very near the path leading to the south porch
are two large tombs side by side, with slabs having letters cut
in relief upon them. One is that of Walter Cole, buried in
1663, and the other of Roger Cole buried in 1670, and of his
son Walter, who survived him but a year. They have the
appearanceof one monument, and standing upon massive granite
supports, have been likened to a dolmen, or cromlech, though
the height is scarcely sufficient to suggest this very forcibly.

The Rev. E. A. Bray in an account of an excursion on the
moor, in September, 1802, mentions an upright stone near

Mary Tavy Cross,

Of Dartmoor and its Borderland. 113

Peter Tavy that marked the grave of a suicide. The spot is
still known as Stevens' grave, and a small mould of earth is
yet distinguishable, but the stone has disappeared. It is
situated by the side of a grassy track on the common to the
eastward of the village.

The walk from Peter Tavy to Mary Tavy is not a long
one, the distance being, as the villagers have it, " one mile
from tower to tower." The path will lead us by the river,
which here flows through scenery of the most charming
description. On a strip of level ground, by the waters of
the Tavy, rises Longtimber Tor, a square shaped mass of
rock, with perpendicular sides draped with ivy, and embosomed
in foliage. It is of considerable size, and when viewed
from a distance is strikingly like the ruin of some
ancient building. Opposite to this is a dark wall of
rock, by which the river sweeps, overhung with trees, that
also cover the hill-side above. Further up we shall cross
the stream by means of a clam, or narrow wooden bridge,
and then ascending a winding path shall enter upon a lane
that will bring us immediately to the village.

The churchyard at Mary Tavy was extended in 1880, and
the open space upon which the old cross stood included
in its boundary, so that this interesting object is now within
the gate. It stands upon a pedestal consisting of three stages
measuring respectively about nine feet, seven feet, and four
feet nine inches square. The lower step is only seven or eight
inches high, but the height of the other two is about fourteen
or fifteen inches, while the tread of each is rather under one
foot. The stone in which the cross is fixed is close upon three
feet square, and seventeen inches high, its upper edge being
bevelled. Its sides are ornamented with carvings, each being
of a different design, the figures bearing some resemblance
to mullets and roses in heraldry. The shaft which is of an
octagonal form except at its foot, where it is square, is four
feet ten inches in height, and upon this is neatly fixed the
head and arms, which are modern, the original having by
some means been broken off and lost. It is tapering, being
thirty-two inches in girth near the bottom, and only twenty-
three immediately under the arms.

The stones forming the pedestal are all in their places, and
the joints have been cemented, so that the Mary Tavy Cross

i

H4 The Ancient Stone Crosses

has certainly been well-cared for. It is rather a pity, how-
ever, that the head and arms were not made a little larger ;
their size is scarcely proportionate to that of the shaft. This
new work, in which the octagonal form is preserved, increases
the height about fourteen inches, the total from the ground
to the top of the cross being ten feet and a half. The arms
measure eighteen inches across.

As at Peter Tavy some fine trees grow in the churchyard
spreading their boughs over the tombstone that tell us of those
who once dwelt in this moorland parish. But the spot has
not quite that primitive air belonging to the former, the
alterations connected with its extension having robbed it of
some of its older features.

Leaving Mary Tavy and entering upon the Tavistock
and Okehampton road, we shall make our way to Black
Down, at the north-eastern corner of which is a spot known
as Fostall cross. Whether a cross ever existed there or
not, I have been unable to ascertain. At present a boundary
stone stands there, but we might well suppose that in former
times a cross was reared near by, as an ancient track known
as the Lich Path passed that way.

At the distance of about half-a-mile from the verge
of the down we shall leave the highway and strike
over the common on the left, in order to visit Lydford.
On reaching the higher part of the down we see
across the valley to the westward the conical peak of
Brent Tor, of which we have had many a distant view
during our rambles. On its summit is a little church
dedicated, like most ecclesiastical buildings on high places
to St. Michael, and traditions, as might natually be expected,
are not wanting to account for its erection here. It would
have been built at the foot of the tor, we are told, but for the
intervention of the arch enemy of mankind, who, it seems
as in the case of the church at Plympton St. Mary,* took upon
himself to remove the stones which the builders brought to
the chosen site to a spot more to his liking. But in this
instance he conveyed them to a higher situation instead of to
a lower one, possibly in the hope that the trouble of climbing up
a steep hill would deter worshippers from attending church

*p 43, ante.

Of Dartmoor and its Bordtrland. 115

very frequently. It is also related that the edifice owes its
existence to the fulfilment of a vow made by a merchant, who
in a dreadful storm at sea, promised St. Michael that if his
vessel should reach port in safety he would erect a church,
and dedicate it to him, on the first point of land he sighted,
and this chanced to be Brent Tor.

It would seem that a cross formerly stood near this hill, for
the Rev. E. A. Bray speaks of a stone, which he considered to
be the base of one, that lay by the roadside at Brent Tor,
when he wrote, in 1802. At an earlier date than that a
Michaelmas fair was wont to be held there, he states, and on
this stone it was usual during its continuance to erect a pole
with a glove, an old custom to which we have already alluded.*
In Mr. Bray's time the fair had been removed to Tavistock.
The stone has now disappeared, and I can learn nothing
whatever of it.

We leave Black Down close to the Lydford railway
station, whence a lane will lead us to the village, before reach-
ing which, we pass the celebrated Lydford Gorge, spanned by a
single arch, and considered to be one of the curiosities of the
county. It is about seventy feet in depth, and very narrow,
the sides being of solid rock, and through this dark channel
rushes the river Lyd, as it leaves the wild moor country for
the wooded valleys of the lowlands.

Lydford, though now but a small village, was in ancient
times a borough of importance, and derives a peculiar interest
from its long connection with Dartmoor. In its castle, the
ruined keep of which is still standing, all such as offended
against the forest laws, and the laws of the Stannaries enacted
at the Tinners' Parliament held in the centre of the moor,
were imprisoned, and judging from the accounts we possess,
were very rigorously treated.

There is a stone five feet high, now being used as a gate-
post, quite close to the entrance to the churchyard, and this
has sometimes been regarded as the shaft of a cross. I am,
however, unable to agree with this opinion. The stone shows
no sign of having been worked except on one of its faces, and
I should be inclined to consider that it had originally formed
a sill in some building. Close to it is an old stone bearing

*p. 10, ante.

n6 The Ancient Stone Crosses

the initials of Tavistock and Okehampton, and showing the
former town to be distant eight miles and the latter nine.

Near at hand is the Castle Inn, immediately without the
door of which, and forming part of the rough pavement, is a
stone of a circular shape, having a hole in its centre. This
gives it something of the appearance of the socket stone of a
cross, but for many years it supported an object of a very
different character — the sign-post of the inn. The stone is
said to have been made for that purpose, but that it was
originally a millstone seems not to be unlikely.

In the churchyard is a massive granite cross, erected over
the grave of the wife of Arthur Lock Radford, and near it is
another memorial of the dead, of a kind seldom, or never,
seen. It is however strikingly appropriate as perpetuating
the memory of one who loved the moor. It is simply a large
granite boulder with an inscription which tells us that he who
rests beneath it is Daniel Radford.

An alternative route from Mary Tavy to Lydford is
offered by the main road across Black Down, which may be
followed to the Lyd at Skits Bridge, just beyond which a lane
leads to the village. By taking this route the visitor will pass
a stone by the wayside which is worth a brief notice. It
will be seen on the left of the road not long before the bridge
is reached, and marks the seventh mile from Tavistock.
Whether this was its original purpose it is difficult to say.
It is a wide slab about five feet in height, and the sides have
been cut away at the top and the bottom, leaving the middle
portion projecting in the manner of the arms of a cross. The
form is so unusual, the arms projecting only about two inches,
and being over two feet in depth, that we should hesitate to
pronounce it to be an ancient cross, but rather incline to think
that it was fashioned as we now see it at the time it was set
up to serve its present purpose. It is, however, equally true
that its form is an unusal one for a milestone, and also that
it stands in the very situation we should expect to find a cross.
It is placed where an old track called the King Way, near the
line of which the present highway here runs, diverges
from the latter to cross the Lyd at a lower point than the
modern bridge. The inscription on its face occupies several
lines, and conveys the following information to the traveller :
From Tavistock 7 miles, Okehampton 8, Truro 57.

Of Dartmoor and its Borderland. 1 1 7

Passing through Lydford village, we shall regain the high-
way close to the Dartmoor Inn, a hostelry well known to the
angler and the visitor to this part of the moorland country. We
shall not, however, immediately take the road for our guide, as
it will first be necessary for us to visit Bra Tor, a striking
rock-pile above the left bank of the Lyd. Turning into the
lane near the inn a few steps will bring us to the moor-gate,
and we shall make our way over High Down towards the
river. As we proceed the object which has called us from the
road is in full view — a cross standing on the very summit of
the tor.

This, which cannot be numbered among Dartmoor's
ancient crosses, was erected in 1887 by the late Mr. Widgery,
the well-known artist, to commemorate the Jubilee year of Her
late Majesty's reign. It is a plain Latin cross, the form most
in harmony with the wild surroundings. This, and its posi-
tion, which is singularly striking, would suffice to show that
the hand which set it up was guided by the eye of one who
knew how to happily blend the work of art with that of
nature.

But while we cannot fail to be pleased with the distant
effect we shall find the cross on a near approach to be rather
disappointing. It is totally unlike any other on Dartmoor.
In place of the fine shaft and head and arms of hewn granite,
this cross is built of small roughly cut blocks. No less than
eight courses form the shaft ; four stones compose the arms,
and on these are placed two courses more to represent the
head. It is considerably taller than any of the ancient crosses
of the moor, being about thirteen feet in height, and is built
on the rock, on the very summit of the tor. The cross faces
east and west, and on the east side of the base stone of the
shaft, which is a little larger than the others, is the following
inscription : W. Widgery, Fecit x Jubilee x V.R. The letters
are cut on the rough surface of the stone.

Returning to the Tavistock and Okehampton highway, or
striking across the common and regaining it further on,
we shortly pass a roadside inn called the " Fox and Hounds,"
which is at no great distance from Bridestowe station, and
shortly after shall reach the hamlet of Southerleigh. Half-a-
mile or so further on we pass through Lake, and still following
the road, shall at length arrive at the village of Sourton.

u8 The Ancient Stone Crosses

This little settlement lies immediately under the hill on
which are the numerous crags known as the Sourton Tors,
though between it and that eminence now runs the London
and South Western Railway. On the green by the roadside,
and not very far from the church, is the base of a cross. It
is a roughly worked stone, rectangular in shape, and measuring
about three feet across, with a socket nine inches square.
The cross itself has disappeared, and nothing seems to be
known of it. There were formerly several small granite
pillars, exhibiting some rather careful workmanship, lying
near this base. They formed the supports to the large granite
slabs originally used as gravestones, but which have been
employed to pave the churchyard path. These pillars are
now built into the wall of the Jubilee Church Room, opened
in 1897.

From Sourton the road passes over Prewley Moor, and
enters on the enclosed lands again near where a cottage
stands, formerly known as Jockey Down's House. A little
farther on we reach Sourton Down, now enclosed, and here,
close to the hedge on our right, shall perceive a remarkably
fine cross. It is rather over eight feet in height, but the arms
project barely two-and-a-half inches, and this circumstance,
together with the fact of the stone bearing an ancient in-
scription, has caused some to think it likely that this cross
was fashioned out of a primitive menhir.

Mr. C. Spence Bate in a paper in the sixth volume of the
Transactions of the Plymouth Institution (1866-7), considers this
was probably the case, and readers of John Herring may
possibly remember that the Rev. S. Baring-Gould has also
adopted this view.* Immediately under the arms the shaft is
fifteen inches wide ; the head is rather more than this towards
the top, and rises above the arms about nine inches.

The inscription is in three lines, and as in the case of the
stones now at Tavistock is cut lengthwise. It is very difficult
to make out what it is, but the second word of the first line

* " In the midst of Sourton Down stands a very humble tavern,
backed by a few stunted trees, twisted and turned from the west ; and
by the roadside is to be seen a tall granite cross, once a burial monument
of a British chief, and bearing an inscription that was cut into and
rendered illegible in mediaeval times, when the upright stone was con-
verted into a wayside cros." John Herring, chap. xxxi. The " humble
tavern " has long been closed.

Cross on Sourton Down.

Of Dartmoor and its Borderland. 119

seems to read INCID « . I learn that the Rev. S. Baring-
Gould has deciphered this inscription, or part of it, and
considers it to be Romano-British. Other letters have
been cut upon the stone in more modern times, being the
initials of the names of places, the particular face upon which
they are incised indicating their direction. Towards the north
is the letter H, Hatherleigh ; south, T, Tavistock; east, O,
Okehampton ; and west, L, Launceston.

Our road will be the eastern one, as Okehampton is the
next place we shall visit. About eighty paces from this cross
stands an old directing-stone, the top of which is mutilated,
Imt there remains sufficient of the inscriptions it once bore to
show us that on one side were the words Hatherleigh Road,
and on the other, Okehampton Road. After passing the railway
to Holsworthy and North Cornwall, a lane turns on the right,
leading to the hamlet of Meldon. There, near a cottage, is
an upright slab, which might at first be taken for an ancient
stone. It is, however, merely an ingle-stone, left standing
when the cottage to which it belonged was demolished.

Just before reaching Okehampton we shall pass the ruins
of the castle built by the Norman follower of the Conqueror,
Baldwin de Brionys. It rises midst the trees with which the
side of the hill is covered, and below it sweeps the West
Ockment, a stream that unites with the East Ockment
immediately below the town.'

There is now no cross at Okehampton, but a reference to
one that formerly existed in the town is to be found in a
Journal kept by Richard Shebbeare, mayor of the borough
in the seventeenth century, and printed in Bridges' Account
of the Barony and Town of Okehampton.* The entry, the
date of which is 26th October, 1696, is as follows : —

"This day the Lord's Justices' proclamation was proclaymed at the

town-hall, at the Crosse and at the markett house wherein

was signified that the King had concluded a peace with the French
King, and a bonfire made down at Beare Bridge."

Built into the east wall of Okehampton Church is a stone
with an incised cross, and bearing an inscription. It was
discovered in the foundations of a former church, and had
been used as a building stone. On one side of the incised

•Published in parts, about the year 1839. A new edition, with
additional chapters, was published in 1889.

I2O The Ancient Stone Crosses

cross, near the edge, and running lengthwise, are the words —
Hie laced Rober, and on the other side, similarly placed,
Cub De Moie B. It has been suggested that the letter B.
possibly refers to Brightley, where was formerly a priory.
This stood on the bank of the Ockment, about a mile and
a half below the town, but there are now few remains of it.

About six miles from Okehampton is North Lew. The
parish cannot strictly be regarded as being in the Dartmoor
country, but the visitor may well extend his ramble to the
village, as there will be found one of the finest among our
Devonshire Crosses. For several hundred years the ancient
preaching cross, supposed to have been erected by the monks
of Tavistock Abbey was a feature in North Lew, but it was
at length overthrown and broken. But the base of the cross,
standing on three steps, remained, and this has come down to
us, grey and weather-worn, it is true, but otherwise uninjured.
During recent years the desirability of restoring this venerable
monument became recognised, and a movement was at length
made. It was carried out under the supervision of Mrs.
Worthington, the wife of the rector, the funds necessary for
the purpose having been collected by school children, and the
unveiling took place on the aoth July, 1900. The Bishop of
Bristol officiated at the dedication, and about three hundred
persons, grouped around the cross, listened to the address
which he delivered.

The pedestal is octagonal in shape, and on the face of the
moulded steps some tracery is yet observable. The socket-
stone also exhibits similar ornamentation, the whole being far
more elaborate than any other ancient base, in, or near, the
moor country. The socket itself is twelve inches square, and
in this the new cross is now fixed. This is of Dartmoor
granite, and is over ten feet in height. At the base it is
square, but runs into an elegant tapering octagonal form. It
is crowned with an old stone supposed to have been the top of
the original shaft. The joints of the stones composing the
pedestal have been cemented, and the whole made firm. The
restoration of this village cross, to which more than one
tradition clings, and which has been so effectively accom-
plished, will be gratifying to all who love these old memorials,
and will lend an additional charm to their visit when their
steps shall bring them to North Lew.

Of Dartmoor and its Borderland. 121

From Okehampton we shall make our way up the hill to
the park. This is an enclosed portion of the moor and
formerly part of the hunting-ground of the old barons. In a
return of the boundaries of " the Chase of Okehampton belong-
ing to Henry, Marquis of Exeter," in the 24th of Henry VIII.,
A.D. 15^2-3, two crosses are named as bond marks. The
chase seems to have been of considerable size, extending some
distance beyond Brightley Bridge on the north. The crosses
mentioned in the record are Durdon Cross and Dunsland
Cross neither of which were in the district now under
notice.

Ere we reach the brow of the hill we shall see close to the
corner of an enclosure an old cross set upon a base composed
of stones and turf, by the side of a small pool, which is known
as Fitz's Well.

It is <;aid that a practice formerly existed among the young
persons of the neighbourhood of visiting this well on the
morning of Easter Day. It probably had some wonderful
powers ascribed to it, and those who gathered round its
brink did so, we may suppose, with the idea of discovering
their destiny, for which purpose we find springs visited at
certain seasons.*

There is another Fitz's Well on Dartmoor, a little to the
northward of Princetown, which tradition affirms was erected
by Sir John Fitz, in consequence of his having on an occasion
of being "pixy-led" on Dartmoor, found that on tasting the
water he was able to discover his way home.

A counterpart of this story exists in connection with the
well in the park, and was related to me by the late Miss
Luxmore, of Okehampton, a lady who found great delight in
antiquarian and legendary lore. According to this a man and
his wife, who were proceeding from Halstock to Okehampton,
by some means lost their way. They tried in vain to find the
track leading to the town, and at length the female gave it as
her opinion that it was useless for them to continue their
search, as it was evident they were under a spell, and
consequently all their efforts would be futile. She also
asserted that its influence would continue until they discovered

* In the journal of Richard Shebbeare is the following entry under
date agth Sep., 1676 : " There was not any water to be seen at Fitze Well,
the summer soe hot and dry."

122 The Ancient Stone Crosses

water. After a time they chanced to light upon the well on
the brow of the hill above Okehampton, when true to her
prophecy, the spell was broken and their way lay plainly
before them, with the town they were desirous of reach-
ing lying snugly in the valley below. This experience must
have made some impression on their minds, for the man
vowed to set up a cross by the well which had been the
means of dispelling the uncanny influence by which he had
been controlled. He kept his vow, and caused the granite
cross that we still see there, to be erected in recognition of
his thankfulness at escaping from his perplexities, and as a
memorial of the magical effect of the water.

This story is but a variant of the one related of the well
on the Blackabrook near Princetown, and the well in Oke-
hampton Park probably bears the same name as the other, in
consequence of the park together with the manor of Meldo
having once belonged to the family of Fitz.

John Fitz, the old lawyer, erected a small conduit over a
spring at his seat of Fitzford, at Tavistock, and Mr. Bray,*
referring to this playfully calls him a water-fancier, and states
that he had in his possession the old lawyer's autograph
(written John Fytz) on the counter-part lease of a field, which
gave him liberty to convey water " in pipes of timber, lead, or
otherwise," to his house at Fitzford, and which was dated the
loth of Elizabeth. That sovereign began to reign in 1558,
and as Mr. Bray points out, the date which is graven on the
tablet over the well on the Blackabrook is 1568.

In addition to the date there are also to be seen the letters
I.F., and Mr. Bray, in his diary written in 1831, unhesitatingly
affirms his belief that John Fitz was the constructor of the
edifice over the well.

The moormen often call the spring in Okehampton Park,
Spicer's Well, but this is evidently only a corrupted form of
" Fice," the name of Fitz being often pronounced in Devon-
shire, Fize or Fice. They relate that the cross was set up by
" a rich gentleman," but for what purpose they are unable to
say. In Bridges' Account of the Barony and Town of Okehampton
it is stated that there existed a tradition which affirmed that
the cross was brought to the well from St. Michael's Chapel

* Vide extract from his Journal, Borderg of the Tamar and the
Tavy. vol. I, p. 301.

Of Dartmoor and, its Borderland. 123

of Halstock, vestiges of the foundations of which are to be
seen at the eastern end of the park, but I have never heard it
so related in the neighbourhood.

Like so many of the Dartmoor examples, the old cross at
Fitz's Well is broken, and the lower part of the shaft is not to
be found. The portion which remains is very rudely cut, and
consists of the upper part of the shaft and the head. The
height of this piece is just over three feet, and the breadth
across the arms is one foot eight inches, a small piece being
broken off one of them. There is an incised cross in the
centre of the shaft, where it is intersected by the arms, eight
inches by six, and about one and a half inches wide. The
thickness of this ancient cross varies, but averages about eight
or nine inches ; its whole appearance is very rugged.

For a long time the cross lay by the side of the pool. It
is now rescued from a position so likely to have brought about
its entire destruction, and placed in one not only effective, but
in which its preservation is ensured.

From the summit of the hill near Fitz's Well there is a
remarkably fine view, the range of country seen towards the
north being most varied and extensive. In the valley at our
feet lies the town which we have just left, with its church on
the hillside at some little distance from it. The remains of
the castle of Baldwin de Brionys and the Courtenays with its
grey walls clasped by the creeping ivy, are seen amid the trees
to the left of the town, and though decayed and crumbling, it
is yet lovely in its loneliness, the charm of old age endowing
it with an attractiveness which fully compensates it for the
loss of its former grandeur.

As we turn our faces moorward we shall be struck with
the fine appearance of three tors, at no great distance off, in a
south-westerly direction. The furthest of these is Yes Tor,
the middle height is West Mil Tor, and the one nearest us,
the lowest of the three, is Row Tor ; the forest boundary lies
on the further side of them, South-eastward are the Belstone
tors which look remarkably fine from this spot, backed by the
grand old hill of Cosdon.

From Fitz's Well a path leads to Halstock Farm, and this
we shall follow, and after passing the homestead shall enter a
field known as Chapel Lands, where we may see the low
mounds marking the site of the ancient sanctuary above

124 The Ancient Stone Crosses

referred to. Crossing this, a path will lead us through the
wood down to the East Ockment, where is a ford and
stepping-stones, by means of which we gain the opposite
bank. Mounting the hill, and keeping a little to our left
the while, we shall observe, on reaching the enclosures, a
lane leading from the common, and this we shall enter.
Soon the gate of the old Belstone rectory will be seen
on the right, and we shall pass through it in order to
examine a sculptured stone, which we shall find built into a
wall not very far from the house. It is a little over four feet
in height, and about one foot wide at the bottom, but higher
up this increases to over eighteen inches. The lower part of
the stone being broken, the device is interfered with there,
but a line can be seen running up its centre, for about two-
thirds of its length ; this is crossed by another, which forms
the segment of a circle, near its top, and above this is a circle,
within which is a cross. All these markings are incised, the
lines being about an inch wide.

I learnt several years ago that this stone was found at the
church, in 1861, when some steps leading to the vestry were
being taken down, and also that a cross, which was removed
from the churchyard, had been built into the wall of a stable
near by. But as nothing of the sort can be seen, there is
probably some mistake here, the report of the finding of the
latter object originating, I suspect, in the discovery of the
stone we have just been examining.

A walk of about half a mile will bring us to the village,
which we shall find is on the very edge of the moor. There
is a green round which the houses cluster, and at one end a
diminutive pound, circular in shape. To the east, across the
valley of the Taw, rises Cosdon, the hill whence the perambu-
lators of 1240 set out to view the bounds of the royal forest.

From Belstone our ramble will take us to the Okehamp-
ton and Exeter road which we shall strike at a little common
called Tongue End. Near a smithy a large granite post, now
in a slanting position, marks the boundary of the parishes of
Belstone and Sampford Courtenay, and about a quarter of a
mile from this, on the left of the road as we proceed towards
Sticklepath, an inscribed stone will be seen. It stands where
Bude Lane diverges from the highway, and is rather over
four and a half feet in height, and sixteen inches wide at the

Inscribed Stone, Sticklepath.

Of Dartmoor and its Borderland. 125

bottom, and five or six inches thick. The markings are on
three of its sides, the western one being plain. These consist
of a circle above a St. Andrew's cross, and other imperfect
figures, on the northern side ; lines having some faint resem-
blence to a human form, on the eastern, and on the southern
other lines and semi-circles. Mr. Spence Bate has figured
this stone in the paper to which we have before referred, and
has given a very good representation of the markings.*

Half a mile or so further on the highway runs for a short
distance along the verge of the moor, and here, close to the
road that comes down from Belstone, and at the entrance to
the village of Sticklepath, is another inscribed stone. This is
a larger one than that we have just examined, being about five
and a half feet in height, and about a foot square, though the
sides are not quite of equal size. It bears markings of a similar
character, and has in addition a Latin cross cut in relief upon
it. It is not easy to say what the rude tracery represents, but
there is a figure which may be likened to the outline of the
globes of a huge hour glass. There are two St. Andrew's
crosses, and the occurrence of this figure on both stones
would seem to point to their connection with that saint. The
parish church of South • Tawton, not a mile distant from this
Sticklepath stone, is dedicated to him.

Mr. G. W. Ormerod noticed this stone in a paper read
before the members of the Devonshire Association, in 1874;!
and he says that it once fell down when a road was cut near
it. It has also been mentioned by Mr. C. Spence Bate,}: and
by Mr. Thomas Hughes. §

The stone stands at the entrance of the glen, down which
courses the river Taw,

" The long brook falling thro' the clov'n ravine,"
and close beside it is a well, over which is inscribed —
Lady Well. Drink and Be Thankful.

Sticklepath is a pretty little village, and forms a good place
whence to commence the ascent of Cosdon. The Dartmoor
explorer will also find that from it he can, by making his way
up the valley of the Taw, easily gain the recesses of the moor.

*Trans. Plymouth Institution, Vol. VI.

fPrinted in the sixth volume of the Transactions. The paper is

^entitled Wayside Crosses in the District Bordering the East of Dartmoor.

J Trans. Plymouth Institution, Vol. VI. § Gentleman's Mag., Sept., 1862.

126 The Ancient Stone Crosses

CHAPTER XII.
At the Foot of Cosdon.

Zeal Head Cross — Cross at South Zeal — Story of John Stanbury — Moon's
Cross — South Tawton — Oxenham Cross — Tradition of the White
Bird — Cross at Ringhole Copse — Cross at Addiscott — Firestone Ley —
Cross at West Week — An Ancient Border Farmhouse.

The parish of South Tawton includes within its area the
huge hill of Cosdon, the cultivated portion of it lying at
the foot of the lofty height, and stretching towards the
north-east. Here we shall find no less than six of the
interesting objects the examination of which is the purpose of
our extended ramble through the moorland region, and shall
discover some of them to be more than ordinarily striking.

Leaving Sticklepath we cross the bridge over the Taw,
and ascending the hill on the left, shall very soon reach a
point where a road to the village of South Tawton branches
off. Here a cross, known as Townsend, or Zeal Head Cross,
formerly stood, but we shall look in vain for any remains of it
now. It was destroyed many years since by one John
Orchard, who was afterwards hanged — not for this act of
vandalism, but for forgery.

Proceeding down the steep hill before us towards South Zeal,
which is now in view, we shall not fail to be struck, on a
nearer approach, with its old-fashioned appearance. It consists
mainly of one long street, running down this hill and partly
up another. Many of the houses are interesting, and the
curious observer will find not a little to attract him. But
what demands our special attention now is the beautiful
cross that the village possesses, and which occupying, as it
should do, a prominent situation, will be the very first object
on which our eyes will rest as we enter the place. The street
is of some width, and in its centre stands the ancient chapel of
St. Mary. Extending from this, with the road on each side
of it, is a small enclosed piece of ground, planted with shrubs,
on which some cottages formerly stood, and at the end of this
is the cross. Set up on a very lofty pedestal, the top of this

N

Of Dartmoor and its Borderland. 127

cross is at a considerable height from the ground. It
rises about nine feet above the base in which it is fixed,
while the surface of the latter is about seven feet from the
bottom of the pedestal, and two or three feet more from the
ground, as the former stands on a foundation of small stones.
This pedestal is not formed of large blocks as in the
case of those we have examined at Buckland and
Meavy, and other places, but the steps composing it,
which are three in number, are built of stones of small size
with worked granite slabs laid upon them, the edges of which
project. The base of the cross is a stone about three feet
square, and twenty inches in height, its upper edge being
bevelled. The shaft is of an elegant tapering form, one
foot square at the bottom, but a short distance from its foot
the angles are chamfered, and it becomes octagonal. Just
below the arms there is a kind of wide fillet running round
it. The head and arms are not one with the shaft, but are
fixed upon it. The whole has a very graceful appearance, and
with the little chapel of ancient days, forms a most interesting
picture, the surroundings harmonizing with it in a truly
pleasing manner.

Mr. G. W. Ormerod, in the paper referred to in the previous
chapter, and written in 1874, describes this cross, and states
that about forty years before that time it was repaired
by a stonemason, who was a Roman Catholic, and
who made a vow to do so during a storm, when sailing
from America to England, should he be permitted to land in
safety. His voyage had a happy termination and he performed
what he had promised. There are, however, some inaccuracies
here, the real facts being, perhaps, scarcely so poetical. There
was no storm, and no vow made on board a vessel. About
the year 1838, one John Stanbury, who was a native of
South Zeal, and a carpenter by trade, came home from
America for a short season. Seeing that the cross needed
some repair, he effected this himself, and as a memento of his
visit to the place of his birth caused his initials and the date
to be cut in the base. The villagers, however, objected to the
latter part of his work, and destroyed the inscription, the
marks of which can still be seen in a small panel on the stone.
Taking umbrage at this he made a vow that though circum-
stances might bring him to England again, he would never

128 Tlie Ancient Stone Crosses

more set foot in South Zeal. He returned to America, and
twenty-four years afterwards came a second time to his native
country. He did not break his vow, for on this occasion
South Zeal knew him not, as he remained during his sojourn
at Hennock, near Bovey Tracey. John Stanbury, who was a
Roman Catholic, died in Brooklyn, New York. These facts
were obtained for me from a descendant of his, by Mr. S.
Westaway, junr., of South Zeal.

The similarity of the story gathered by Mr. Ormerod to
the tradition attaching to Brent Tor, which we have already
noticed, renders it more than probable that the former was
suggested by the latter.

Close to the chapel of St. Mary a road leads to South
Tawton village, which is half-a-mile distant. This we
shall follow, and about midway between the two places, or a
little beyond, shall reach a large barn, where a road comes in
from Zeal Head Cross. In front of this barn is an open
space, and here on a bank is the base and part of the shaft
of what must have been at one time a large cross. The base,
which is ten inches in height, is nearly square, measuring
three feet three inches by three feet four, and has the upper
corners roughly rounded off. The height of the broken piece
of shaft is two feet and a half ; it is octagonal in form, and is
four feet two inches in girth.

The cross does not stand quite in its original position.
This was nearer the centre of the open space, and being in
the way it was deemed advisable to set it back a few yards.
It is known as Moon's Cross, and marks the spot where the
traveller journeying from beyond South Tawton would diverge
accordingly as he desired to skirt the northern or eastern edge
of Dartmoor.

A pretty rural scene meets our eye in the village of South
Tawton, with its open space, in the centre of which is a large
tree, and an ancient house with arched doorway near the
churchyard gate. The church itself is a fine building, its
massive tower being particularly striking, and in the well-
kept graveyard many a stone will be seen fashioned from
the granite of the moor. We take the road to Oxenham,
and passing a mill commence the ascent of a hill. At some
distance up the road is crossed by another, leading from
South Zeal to North Tawton and Bow. The spot is known

Of Dartmoor and its Borderland. 129

as Oxenham Cross, but only a small portion of the shaft, and
the mutilated head of the old monument that formerly marked
it now remains. This is standing in the hedge, concealed by
bushes, on the left in ascending. The piece of shaft was
noticed by Mr. G. W. Ormerod in his interesting paper ; it
is octagonal in shape, and about two feet in height, and three
feet seven inches in girth. Mr. Ormerod speaks of it as being
between Whiddon Down and Oxenham, but this is not quite cor-
rect, as it stands, as now described, on the South Tawton side of
Oxenham, whereas Whiddon Down is in the opposite direction.

Some years ago I discovered the upper part of this cross
among some stones in a hedge by the side of a gateway near
by, though I afterwards learned that its existence was not
unknown to two or three in the neighbourhood. This piece is
about thirteen inches high and seven inches wide ; the top
is broken away, and only rises about four inches above
the arms. It is one foot across the arms, and where these
intersect the shaft there is a small incised Greek cross seven
inches high, the lines being an inch and a half wide. The
shattered head is now resting on the broken shaft.

Not far from this cross, and in full view from the field in
the hedge of which it stands, are many very high mounds of
soil thrown out from some quarries which have been worked
for a great number of years. They are covered with grass and
dotted with trees, and have quite a picturesque appearance.

Passing up the lane the entrance to Oxenham will be
observed on the right hand. The ancient mansion no longer
exists; the present building is an erection of the last
century, and is now used as a farmhouse. With the family
of Oxenham is connected a very curious tradition. It is said
that a white bird, or one with a white breast, appears as a
forewarning of the death of members of the family ; that it is
" bound " to appear when the head of the family is about to
die, and may do so just previous to the death of any other of
the members. There is an account of its appearance in 1635,
which was printed in a tract of twenty pages, in which an allu-
sion occurs to the bird also having appeared in 1618, and several
instances have since been recorded, the latest being in 1873.*

*A very exhaustive paper on this curious omen, by Mr. R. W. Cotton,
may be seen in the fourteenth volume of Transactions of the Devonshire
Association.

K

130 Tfie Ancient Stone Crosses

Continuing the ascent of the hill we shall soon pass a small
wood on the left hand. This is Ringhole Copse, and at its
higher end a lane leading from the one we saw branching off
to North Tawton joins our road. At the junction, and close
to the edge of the copse, will be seen an exceedingly fine cross.
It is very nearly seven feet and a half in height, and the arms,
which are about nine inches deep, measure nineteen inches
across ; they spring off at about eight or nine inches from the
top of the head. The shaft is over a foot wide immediately
under the arms, and seven inches thick ; between the arms on
each face there is incised a small Greek cross. An ash tree
spreads its branches over it, the foliage partially concealing its
venerable head.

We now retrace our steps, but ere reaching the entrance
to Oxenham shall turn down a lane on our left, which
will lead us close by the house. We mount a hill, and in a
few minutes arrive at the hamlet of Addiscott, where stands a
cross which we shall at once perceive to be a beautiful
example. It is not of great height, being only four feet
eight inches, but it is well-proportioned and care is dis-
played in its fashioning. The bottom of the shaft, which is
set into a worked base, is square, but only preserves this
form for a distance of about three inches, where the angles
being chamfered, it becomes octagonal, and the arms are also
of this shape. In the shaft the faces of the octagon vary in
width from four to five inches ; in the arms they are each
three-and-a-half inches. These latter spring off at a distance
of three feet one inch from the surface of the socket-stone,
and the head rises eight and a half inches above them. The
shaft, which does not taper, is three feet one inch in girth,
and the arms, two feet nine and a half inches. The socket-
stone, or base, the upper edge of which is sloped, is about
nine inches above the ground, and two and a half feet square.
This striking cross is not quite in its original position. Mr.
George Cann, of Dishcombe, had it placed where it now
stands, as it had been decided to remove it from its former
site in order that a gateway might be made there. It is
pleasing to be able to record an instance of care being taken
to preserve a memorial of olden days ; had such been more
frequent, how much brighter would be the light thrown upon
the past.

Cross at Ringhole Copse, South Tawton.

Of Dartmoor and its Borderland. 131

From Addiscott the road ascends to Firestone Ley, a little
common, over one side of which runs the Exeter and
Okehampton road. This passed through South Zeal, hut in
the later days of stage coach traffic a new road was made in
order to avoid the hills, joining the old one again near the
bridge over the Taw at Sticklepath. We shall pass across
Firestone Ley, and when at the point where the new road
leaves the old one, shall observe on our left a narrow lane.
We enter this, and a short distance on shall reach a gate
opening upon another lane on the right, a true specimen of a
Dartmoor border pathway, and encumbered with blocks of
lichen-stained granite. It will conduct us to West Week, an
ancient farmhouse of a very interesting character, where just
inside the gate, under a tree, is part of what formerly was
undoubtedly a fine cross. It now presents the appearance of
a Tau cross, as the head is broken completely off, but upon
examination the marks of the fracture can be seen. It is
fixed upon a mound, roughly faced with stones, thrown up
around the trunk of the tree, and is two feet two inches in
height. The lower part of the shaft is missing. Its form is
octagonal, and it is a little over thirty-seven inches in girth,
the arms being an inch or two less. The width across the
arms is about thirty-two inches.

It will be seen from the foregoing descriptions that the
crosses in the parish of South Tawton are, with the exception
of the one at Ringhole Copse, octagonal in shape, and that
two of them, namely those at South Zeal and Addiscott, are
of more than ordinary beauty.

Opposite to the cross at West Week is a fine old em-
battled gateway, with a coat of arms carved in granite, telling
us something of the former importance of this old moorland
dwelling.

132 The Ancient Stone Crosses

CHAPTER XIII.
Throwleigh to Moretonhampstead.

Fragments of Crosses at Throwleigh — An Ancient Base —Restoration
of the Cross — Gidleigh — Murchington — Gidleigh Park and Leigh
Bridge — Cro^s at Holy Street — Base of Cross at Chagford — Cross
at Way Barton — Surroundings of Chagford — Cross near Clan-
brook — Stone Cross — Week Down — Shorter Cross.

The district extending from the village of Throwleigh to
Moretonhampstead will now claim our attention, and we shall
therefore direct our steps from West Week to the first-
named place in order to commence our investigations.

Our way will lead us by some grand old trees, and
down a narrow lane, at the bottom of which we pass
through a gate by a small farmhouse, and enter upon the
Chagford road. Turning southward, with the moor on our
right, we shall proceed towards Payne's Bridge, noticing
on our way the numerous enclosures which have of late years
been made on the skirts of the waste. Crossing the bridge,
which spans the Blackaton Brook, a tributary of the Teign,
we follow the road over the common, and shortly enter upon
the enclosed lands once more. Thence throngh a pleasant
lane we make our way to the small border village.

Here we shall be gratified at observing a recently erected
cross, the base, or socket-stone, of which is ancient. It stands
on an excellent site at the junction of the South Tawton,
Chagford, and Gidleigh roads, and forms a truly interesting
feature in the village. The socket-stone, which is nearly
square, being thirty-four inches by thirty-two, and thirteen
inches high, is placed upon a pedestal of three steps. On this
stone, the top corners of which are roughly rounded off, is set
the cross, which is about three feet high. The height of the
three steps is altogether about two feet ; it will thus be seen
that the total height of this memorial is six feet. The stages
of the pedestal are not quite square, the shape being propor-
tioned to that of the ancient base. The bottom stage measures

Of Dartmoor and its Borderland. 133

eight feet nine inches by eight feet six, and the upper one
about four feet eleven inches by four feet seven.

The two upper steps bear inscriptions on their fronts,
from which we learn that the cross was erected by the rector
and a parishioner in the sixtieth year of Queen Victoria. The
parishioner is Mrs. Wood, of St. John's, Murchington, and
the rector the Rev. George Lincoln Gambier Lowe, to whom
not only the dwellers in this moorland parish, but all whose
tastes lead them to regard the preservation of our antiquities
as a thing to be desired, will feel themselves indebted.

Not many years since the old base, which had beea
hollowed out to form a shallow trough (this being now filled
with cement) was lying neglected near a horse-pond. Mr.
Ormerod remembered when the fragments of two crosses,
fastened together by an iron spike, stood on this base. One
consisted of a portion of an octagonal shaft, two feet seven
inches high, and the other of an upper portion of a cross of
another pattern, from which one of the arms was missing, but
when he saw it in 1872 this piece had been displaced, and was
lying in the pond close by.

In 1892 I learnt that these pieces, not being securely fixed,
were thrown off by children when at play, and in order that
they might not be further mutilated, and with a view to their
being afterwards properly set up in their place, they were
removed about 1880 by the rector. Nothing more was
done, however, and the pieces could not afterwards be found.

The cross originally stood, it is believed, in the church-
yard, and fell into a ruinous condition about fifty years ago.
Repairs were about that time being carried out, and it is said
that the mason built some of the fragments of the cross into
a wall.

Throwleigh Church is close at hand, built, like all the
border sanctuaries, of the durable granite of the moor. It
possesses a remarkably fine priest's doorway.

Our course will next take us along the Chagford road as
far as Wonston, whence we may diverge if we please, in order
to visit Gidleigh, which is about a mile distant. We shall
find there a little church, an old manor house, a diminutive
pound, and the ruins of a castle, the latter, however,
not being very extensive. The place wears a very prim-
itive air, and for the lover of all that is old-fashioned will

134

The Ancient Stone Crosses

certainly possess an attraction. On the adjoining commons,
which are soon reached, are several pre-historic monuments of
more than ordinary note.

From Wonston we shall cross some path-fields to
a little bridge at the foot of a steep hill, then taking
the Chagford road we shall ascend towards the hamlet
of Murchington. A few years ago, in the garden of St.
Olave's, a pleasantly situated residence, then belonging to the
Rev. W. T. A. Radford, rector of Down St. Mary, was a fine
old cross. It was not a Dartmoor cross, having been brought
from the parish of Bow, which is many miles distant. This
was done, I have been informed, by the Rev. J. Ingle, a
former owner of the property. About three years ago Mr.
Radford sold St. Olave's to the Rev. A. G. Barker, and
shortly afterwards the rector of Down St. Mary, saying
that Mr. Radford had authorized him to remove the cross,
took it away, to his own parish, and placed it in the church-
yard there, where it now is. There seems, however, to have
been a misunderstanding somewhere, as Mr. Barker after-
wards ascertained that no permission to remove it had been
given. The cross is five feet six inches in height, and nearly
two feet across the arms. The corners, with the exception of
those at the extremities of the arms and the top of the head,
are roughly bevelled.

Shortly before reaching Murchington we turn into the
Gidleigh road, from which a lane branches towards the
bottom of the valley. Entering this we descend the hill by a
narrow pathway on the right to Leigh Steps, by which we
shall cross the North Teign. A short distance up the stream
is the entrance to Gidleigh Park — or Chase, where is a blend-
ing of wildness and sylvan beauty that cannot fail to impress
the beholder. But our course leads us to Leigh Bridge,
immedialely below which is the confluence of the North and
South Teign. The united stream flows onward to Holy Street,
where formerly stood the old mill that has formed a subject for
so many brushes, since the time it was painted by Creswick.
We make our way up the hill, noticing the Puckie — or Pixy —
Stone, on our left, below which is Blacksmith's Pool, and
very soon afterwards descend towards Holy Street. At a
bend in the lane we shall find the upper portion of a cross
built into the wall. It is about three feet in height, and the

Of Dartmoor and its Borderland. 135

arms measure twenty-seven inches across, one projecting
seven inches from the shaft, and the other five. They are
not quite of the same depth, being eleven and twelve inches
respectively. The width of the shaft immediately under the
arms is fourteen inches. In the centre is an incised cross, ten
inches high. For the preservation of this old relic we are
indebted to the Rev. Arthur Whipham, who placed it where
we now see it. It had previously been lying in the yard at
Holy Street, and was brought there from Chagford by a
Mr. Southmead. It used to stand in, or near, the market-
place, and a base of a cross now in the court at the rear of
Southmead House, is said to have belonged to it. Mr.
Ormerod, however, states that another cross, which will be
found at Way Barton, was the one that surmounted this base.
That writer, who was for some time resident at Chagford, no
doubt had opportunities of ascertaining its history, but I can-
not find any other belief now existing than that the base is
that of this Holy Street Cross. It is a very handsome
example, and while the cross is certainly of simple form, and
displays no attempt at ornamentation, the one at Way Barton
is of a far ruder type, and it can scarcely be conceived that it
ever belonged to such a carefully fashioned socket-stone.

A short walk from Holy Street, past the deserted woollen
factory close to the picturesque bridge, will bring us to Chag-
ford, now so well known as a tourist resort. The base of
the cross, as we have stated, is at Southmead House, which
formerly belonged to the gentleman of that name, and he it
was, I have been told, who caused it to be removed here.
Seeing that he also took the cross to Holy Street, it would
certainly appear probable that the one belonged to the other.
The stone has been hollowed out, and now forms a pump
trough, but the ornamentation of its sides has not been
interfered with. This consists of well-cut mouldings, and
gives it an appearance totally different from the other bases
we have examined, with the sole exception of the one already
noticed at Ashburton.* It is an octagon, measuring forty-four
inches across, each of its sides being about nineteen inches.

*It is rather singular that these two bases, which are of similar shape,
and exhibit much more skill in their fashioning than any others found in
the Dartmoor district, should each have been made into water troughs.

136 The Ancient Stone Crosses

It is sunk a little into the ground, and now measures one foot
in height ; beneath it there is a well.

Way Barton, the residence of Mr. Coniam, is distant
not quite a mile from Chagford, on the road to Teign-
combe. The old cross to which we have referred is
lying at the back of the farm buildings, and, when
I first saw it, in 1892, could scarcely be distinguished
from a rough gate-post, to which purpose it had, indeed, at
some time been put. The position of two or three holes
drilled in it to receive the hinges showed that when so used
the upper part had been placed in the ground. The head
had been knocked off, and apparently the greater portion of the
arms also, these being very short, and extremely rough. With
the aid of a crowbar, Mr. Coniam's man at my request turned
the stone over, and •! then discovered an incised Latin cross
upon it. The lines of this are very thin, and it was not entire,
the top part having been graven on the head of the cross.
The upright line was seventeen inches, and the one that
crossed it, eight inches long. Small lines were to be seen
at the extremity of this latter, and also at the bottom of the
upright line, forming crosslets. This old stone, which is still
lying there, is five feet long, and measures eighteen inches
across the arms. The width of the shaft immediately under
the arms is one foot, and it is eight inches in thickness. It
has the appearance of a wayside cross, and is certainly not
what we should expect to find surmounting a base such as
we have examined at Southmead House.

Since I first saw this cross hinges have been put to it, the
intention evidently having been to use it again as a
gate-post, but it is to be hoped that this design will not be
carried out.

In the immediate neighbourhood of Chagford there is very
much to interest and delight. He who seeks the beautiful in
nature will certainly find it here, and the antiquary may fully
occupy his time in the examination of the numerous remains,
both pre-historic and mediaeval, that abound within a radius
of a few miles, including the celebrated dolmen, or cromlech,
near Drewsteignton. A point in the lane close by the
dolmen, where it is intersected by another, is known as
Stone Cross. There is no cross now standing there, but
Mr. Ormerod says that he was informed by the occupier

Of Dartmoor and its Borderland. 137

of Shilston Farm that many years ago he took an old cross
to some place near Sands Gate and made it into a foot-
bridge. It is not stated whence this was removed, but as
Stone Cross is near at hand it is very probable that it was
taken from that spot. It is also stated that another called
Stumpy Cross used to stand in the vicinity of Chagford — I
have heard Drewston mentioned as being the spot — but I can
gain no positive information respecting it.

In the romantic gorge of Fingle, where the scenery is
perhaps unsurpassed in Devonshire, the visitor will also find
some objects of antiquity, and among them a stone, standing
by the wayside, on which is an incised cross. The gorge is
somewhat outside the range of country over which our
investigations extend, but a notice of the stone seems desira-
ble nevertheless. It will be found beside the zig-zag road
that leads from Cranbrook Castle to Fingle Bridge, on the
right side in descending, and at a point where a path, of
which there are several, diverges from the main one.

Mr. Ormerod took a photograph of this stone in 1863, but
it would appear that it was afterwards thrown down, for,
writing in 1874, he states that he had not during a few
years previous to that date been able to find it. In the same
year I also visited the woods, and passed down the road from
Cranbrook, but could see nothing of the stone. It has,
however, been for a long time replaced. It is about three feet
high, and not quite two feet wide. The upright line of the
incised cross measures fourteen inches, and the line forming
the arms ten inches.

Chagford was one of the four stannary towns of Devon.
The others we have already visited — Plympton, Tavistock
and Ashburton. In the vicinity remains of tin-streaming
operations are extensive.

The church, which is dedicated to St. Michael, was restored
in 1865. Some few years after this date the rood-loft stairs
were cleared out, when the upper portions of four granite
crosses were discovered. These were probably placed here
about the commencement of the second half of the sixteenth
century, as in a series of accounts of various wardens and
guilds of Chagford, there are several entries showing that
numerous alterations were then made in the interior of
the church.

138 The Ancient Stone Crosses

Leaving Chagford we make our way up the hill by the
church to Week Down, where an interesting old cross
will claim our attention. The climb is a long one, but
we shall be well repaid on reaching the breezy height, by
the beautiful view that it commands. The cross comes in
sight some time before we reach it, and will be found to be a
fine example. It stands within a few yards of the road, but
not quite in its original situation, having been removed
in 1867, as in consequence of the bank giving way, it was
feared it would fall. Another reason there was for its careful
preservation ; its removal had been contemplated in order to
use it for a foot-bridge. That it was saved from such a fate,
and that the parish of Chagford was not deprived of an
interesting object of antiquity, is a matter for congratulation.
It stood formerly on a little higher ground, although it is now
nearly on the summit of the down, and can be plainly seen
against the sky, as one approaches Chagford by the Moreton
road. It was leaning out of the perpendicular before its
removal, and was set up inclining at the same angle. It is
six and a half feet high, measured down its centre, and the
shaft under the arms is fourteen or fifteen inches wide. About
midway down this increases to seventeen inches, but again
narrows at the bottom. It has very short arms indeed,
shorter even than those of the Sourton Cross, as they
project barely an inch and a half. They are of unequal size,
the southerly being ten inches deep and eleven thick, and
the northerly nine inches square. They measure scarcely
eighteen inches across, and spring off at a distance of five feet
from the ground, on the side that the inclination of the cross
causes to be the higher. On each face, in the centre, be-
tween the arms, is an incised Maltese cross. That on the
eastern has its limbs parallel to the shaft and arms of the
cross on which it is graven, but the one on the western face
has not. Here the Maltese cross is upright, and a line drawn
through it would fall at some little distance from the foot of
the old stone. This would seem to show that it was incised
after the cross had fallen out of the perpendicular, and though
the position of the other does not indicate this, it is probable
they were both cut at the same time. The western one is
eight and a half inches high, and an inch less than this across,
and the eastern nine and a half inches each way. The modern

Week Down Cross,

Of Dartmoor and its Borderland. 139

letters, i A, cut very small, are on its northern side. The
inclination of the stone is towards the south ; it faces almost
due east and west. It wears a very venerable look, the head
being partly covered with short, grey moss, and forms a
pleasing object, standing alone upon this lofty spot.

Ere we leave the down we shall not fail to observe the
wondrous prospect commanded from it. To the north-west
rises Cosdon, and if we look near its foot we shall descry the
roofs of West Week, and be able to trace the greater part of
the route we have pursued from that place to Chagford.
Lying, as it were, at our feet is Rushford Bridge, and lower
down Sandy Park and the entrance to the gorge of Fingle,
with Cranbrook further toward the east. In the opposite
direction is a wide view of the eastern slopes of the moor, and
between Middledon Hill and Nat Tor Down, Kes Tor appears,
and we shall never see it to greater advantage.

" Not proud Olympus yields a nobler sight.
Though gods assembled grace his towering height,
Than what more humble mountains offer here,
Where, in their blessings, all those gods appear."

Just after leaving the common we reach another standing
stone, also close by the roadside. This is known locally as
Shorter Cross, and to it a history attaches. It was removed
in 1873 to Middle Middlecott Farm, not far distant, and
placed under a pump there, where it remained buried
until 1900. Early in that year, through the instrumentality
of Major Yolland, it was disinterred and taken back to
its original situation. The stone is six feet in height, and
about one foot and a half in breadth. On one of its
faces there is a Latin cross in relief, twenty-one inches
high, and about eleven inches across the arms. The foot
of this is about three feet nine inches from the ground;
in its centre a small Greek cross is incised. On the
other face of the pillar will be seen an incised Latin
cross.

From Shorter Cross we descend to Middlecott, where are
three farmhouses, whence our way leads by Thorn. Shortly
after passing this farm we enter upon the Moretonhampstead
road, and soon reach that border town.

140 The Ancient Stone Crosses

CHAPTER XIV.

From Moretonhampstead to the "Western Border
Commons.

An Old Road — Cross at Lynscott — Headless Cross — Ancient Guiding
Stones — Beetor Cross — A Traditionary Battle — Bennet's Cross —
Heath Stone — Xewhouse — Story of the Grey Wethers — Meripit
Hill — Maggie Cross— Jonas Coaker — Cut Lane— The Lich Path-
Clapper Bridges — The Rundle Stone — Long Ash Hill.

The present highway across the moor from Moretonhamp-
stead to Plymouth and Tavistock is formed on the line of an
ancient track. The wayside cross, old guide stones, fords and
clapper bridges, enable us to trace it, besides which we have
seventeenth and early eighteenth century mention of it, as
will presently be shown. We shall first briefly notice such
objects in and around Moreton as now concern us, and then
set out on our journey over this old highway, in order that we
may examine others which will prove not less interesting.

The number of crosses in the Dartmoor district already
known, has lately been increased by the discovery of two in
the neighbourhood of Moreton, by Dr. W. J. Stephens of that
town. One was found by him at Lynscott, where it served as
a gate-post, and the other at Elsford, in Bovey Tracey Parish.
The latter is in the hedge by the side of the road leading from
Pepperdon to Hennock, and close to the farm named, which
is about a mile and a half from Lustleigh. It is thirty-three
inches high, but probably the greater part of the shaft is
below the surface of the ground ; it also measures the same
across the arms. Dr. Stephens has been instrumental in
getting the hedge pruned, and the cross is now exposed to view.
The cross at Lynscott has been sadly mutilated, one of the arms
having been knocked off, presumably to adapt it to the purpose
to which it has been put, and the greater part of the head as well.
There are also notches in one of its faces, of the kind made to
receive the ends of the bars which formerly took the place of
hinged gates. Dr. Stephens, whose interest in these memorials
of other days does not stop at simply discovering them,

2

u

Of Duvtmoor and its Borderland 141

brought the matter to the notice of Mr. Charles Cuming, who
resides at Lynscott, and he removed the cross to a suitable
spot. That its original site was not far distant is evidenced by
the name of the field Cross Park at the entrance to which it
stood.

The cross is five and a half feet in height, and about
eighteen inches across the arms ; on one face, between these,
is an incised cross, the lines being seven and eleven inches
long.

As there is an old track very near by, which leads to
Buttern Down and Fingle Bridge, it seems likely that the
original purpose of the cross was to mark its direction.
Lynscott is about a mile and a half from Moreton.

There is another stone situated at about the same distance
from Moreton, but in a different direction. It is known as
the Headless Cross, and stands on Mardon Down, not far
from the road to Clifford Bridge. It is sometimes called
the Maximajor Stone, and in spite of its first-mentioned name,
it is doubtful whether it ever was a cross. The stone which
is of rude appearance, is six feet in height, about four feet in
girth at the base, and about three feet at the top.

Moretonhampstead is locally said to be " twelve miles
from everywhere," being about that distance from Exeter,
Newton Abbot, Princetown and Okehampton. It is situated
amid scenery of the most attractive kind, and as it can
be reached by rail forms an easily accessible centre for
the visitor. The church, dedicated to St. Andrew, is an
ancient structure, and is remarkably well placed. At its
eastern end is a field called the Sentry, a corruption of
Sanctuary, whence the ground slopes very rapidly, so that
from the further side of the depression the building is
seen standing on a bold hill, while when approached from
the west it will be found to be on the same level as the
town. The tower is plain, with that sturdy look so charac-
teristic of those of the moorland district. In the churchyard
are a number of very old tombstones, fashioned from the
granite of the neighbouring hills.

We shall find the old Moretonhampstead cross just without
the south gate of the churchyard, beneath an ancient elm. This
tree, so long the glory of Moreton, has had its branches
curiously trained, so that the upper portion once assumed a

142 The Ancient Stone Crosses

cuplike form, and in this a platform was sometimes laid and
dancing took place on it. The following extracts from a
journal kept by the great-grandfather of a lady long resident
in the town, are interesting as giving us some actual dates
upon which festivities took place on the tree.

JUNE 4//», 1800.

His Majesty's birthday. Every mark of loyalty was shewn. In
the afternoon a concert of instrumental music was held on the
Cross Tree.

AUGUST 28z/j, i8or.

The Cross Tree floored and seated round, with a platform, railed
on each side, from the top of an adjoining garden wall to the tee,
and a flight of steps in the garden for the company to ascend. After
passing the platform they enter under a grand arch formed of boughs.
There is sufficient room for thirty persons to sit around, and six
couples to dance, besides the orchestra. From the novelty of this
rural apartment it is expected much company will resort there during
the summer.

AUGUST igth, 1807.

This night the French officers* assembled on the Cross Tree, with
their band of music. They performed several airs with great taste.

I have been unable to ascertain the date upon which the
last dance took place among the boughs of this old elm, but I
understand they were not infrequent, and were many of them
attended by the guests of a former house of entertainment
called the London Inn, and which was near by.

Unfortunately the Cross Tree was greatly injured, in fact
partly destroyed, by a storm that took place on the i3th
October, 1891, when the force of the wind was so great that
the ancient elm could not withstand it, and about a quarter
past two o'clock in the afternoon most of the upper part was
blown down, carrying with it a large piece of the trunk,
which was found to be quite hollow. This latter the late Mr,
William Phillips Harvey had replaced and securely fastened,
and to his fostering care do we owe it that this historic tree
still throws a grateful shade over the venerable cross below.

The shaft of the Moreton cross is missing, and the head and
arms are now fixed close to the foot of the old elm, which grows
from the centre of a large octagonal base, the sides of which
measure thirty-eight, and some forty-eight inches. This is
about two and a half feet in height, though owing to the ground

"These were prisoners of war residing at Moretonhampstead on parole.

Of Dartmoor and its Borderland. 143

around it being a little uneven, it is in places not quite so
much. There is a plinth, the sloping top of which is
exactly one foot from a cornice formed by projecting slabs,
and is six inches high. From the outer edge of these
slabs to the trunk of the tree the distances varies from about
twenty-six to thirty-four inches. This is now covered with
earth and planted, but we cannot congratulate those respon-
sible for the innovation upon the effect of their work, which
violates every principle of good taste, and sadly mars the
appearance of the old tree and the venerable stone beneath it.

The cross or what remains of it, rises twenty-one inches
above this base, and is fixed in position with cement. This was
done by Mr. Harvey, who informed me that there were only
about two inches of the stone sunk in the hole formed to
receive it. It is octagonal in shape, but the angles are much
weathered ; the head is forty-six inches in girth, and the arms
forty-two, these measuring twenty-seven inches across, and
projecting six inches from the shaft. There is an oval-shaped
cavity six inches by five, and three in depth, on the head of
this cross, and also two little channels, each about an inch in
width ; around the top of the head are two mouldings. In the
centre of one of its faces (that turned from the tree) is a Greek
Tau cross, incised to the depth of an inch and a half, the
upright limb being a foot high and three inches wide, and the
arms ten inches across, and four and a half inches wide. On
the other face is a hollow of precisely the same size as the arms
of the Greek Tau, but in a similar position to the upright limb
of it.

Very near to the Cross Tree is the old poor-house, a
building of some interest, having an arcade with ten small
arches, five on each side of the entrance.

George Bidder, the eminent engineer, was born at More-
tonhampstead. He was placed at the University of Edin-
burgh when only in his fourteenth year, having developed
surprising powers of mental calculation. He was the engineer
of several important railways and other great public works.
His death took place in 1878.

The highway from Moretonhampstead to the western
border commons being formed, as we have already stated,
on the line of the ancient track we wish to follow, we shall
have the advantage of a good road across the forest.

144 The Ancient Stone Crosses

At the distance of a little over a mile, at a cross-road, we
shall notice an old guiding-stone on the left, with the letters
M N C T incised, one on each of its four faces. These
stand for Moretonhampstead, Newton, Chagford, and
Tavistock, and are so placed as to indicate the direc-
tion of each. Three miles from Moreton our road is
again crossed by another, at a spot known as Watching
Place, and also as Beetor Cross, and here, too, we find a
similarly inscribed stone, excepting that the direction of
Newton is not indicated. Formerly the traveller over this
road also saw the spot marked by a stone cross, but for the
half century preceding 1900, and perhaps for a longer time, it
was missing from its place, its name alone remaining there.

In 1848 the Rev. Samuel Rowe stated that Beetor Cross
was then standing in a field adjoining the spot that bears its
name. In 1857 Mr. Ormerod made a drawing of it, when it
was acting as a gate-post on Hele Moors. This is probably
the same spot on which it stood in Mr. Rowe's time, as Hele
Moors, which are now, and were then, enclosed, are close by,
and may very well be described as fields. Mr. Ormerod
informs us in his paper, written in 1874, that three years
before " it was removed from that spot to act in the same
capacity at a gateway leading out of Hele Plantation to Hele
House." I think he is hardly correct here, as I made enquiry
some years ago from those likely to know, and I could not
find that the cross ever formed a gate-post at Hele Plantation.
In 1892 I saw it when it acted as a gate-post in a field to the
south of the road, and there it remained until the last year of
the nineteenth century

Early in that year the Rev. W. H. Thornton, rector of
North Bovey, brought the subject of its restoration to the
notice of the members of the Teign Naturalists' Field Club,
and a sum of money to defray the cost of the desirable work
was voted. It was carried out by Mr. Thornton, with the
co-operation of the owner, Mr. Taylor, of Hele, and in the
month of August was completed. A party of forty-five
members of the club drove to the spot to inspect the cross and
afterwards visited the rectory where the pleasing ceremony of
its inauguration was concluded

That this old cross, now happily nearer the site on
which it probably stood for centuries, was erected to mark the

Bennett's Cross,

Of Dartmoor and its Borderland. 145

ancient track across the moor, seems to be likely, though it is
possible it may also have commemorated some event. Tradi-
tion assigns its erection solely to the latter, and relates that it
was set up to mark the scene of a conflict between the invad-
ing Saxon and the Christian British of the moor. But what-
ever may have been the intentions of those who reared it in
the dim past, it is gratifying to reflect that one, at least, is
fulfilled ; that the symbol of the Christian faith here meets the
eye of the wayfarer.

There is also another tradition connected with this spot.
It is related that here was erected the gibbet on which a
criminal was hung in chains, the last in the neighbourhood to
be made an example of by a barbarous law.

Beetor cross is very rudely fashioned, and on Hele Moors
stood but a little over four feet in height ; the breadth of the
shaft is about eleven inches, and its thickness an inch less.
Across the arms, one of which has a corner broken off, the
measurement is sixteen inches, so that it will be seen that
they project but little. The head is not so wide as the shaft,
and one of the arms is somewhat higher than the other. On
its face is an incised cross, which, however, can only be seen
when the sun is shining upon it, and the ends of the lines
appear to have had cross strokes, forming crosslets.

One mile beyond Beetor Cross we enter upon the moor,
and about a mile and a half further on shall come in sight of
another old wayside cross. It stands near the road on the
left as we advance, and it will be seen that it is leaning con-
sideraby out of the perpendicular, but is yet in a perfect
condition. It is of very rugged appearance, no pains having
been taken in forming the shaft, this seeming to be little more
than the stone left in its natural shape, the short, rudely-
carved arms, and the head, being the only parts in which any
attempt at fashioning is displayed.

It is known as Bennet's Cross, and though we are ignorant
why this name was bestowed upon it, we can, at all events,
be sure that it has borne it for at least two centuries. I find
the cross mentioned by that name in the deposition of William
French, of Widecombe, in an action brought by the rector of
Lydford for tithes, in 1702, and as it appears that it was then
well-known, it is more than probable that it had been so called
for some time prior to that date.

L

146 The Ancient Stout Cresses

It is six feet in height on one side, and nearly eight inches
more than this on the other, the ground being there worn
away, and the arms are one foot nine inches across. The
girth of the shaft is much greater at the bottom than at its
upper part ; above the arms it slightly tapers, as also do the
arms themselves. On the west-north-west face, that which
fronts the road, the modern letters W B are incised ; these
stand for " Warren Bounds," the cross forming one of the
boundaries of Headland Warren, and similar letters will also
be noticed on several other stones near by which define its
limits. The cross is also a boundary mark of the parishes of
North Bovey and Chagford, and of the land over which
extend the rights belonging to Vitifer Mine.*

A few loose stones will be observed near Bennet's Cross,
being the marks of the tin-bounds, which are renewed once a
year. These stones are then placed, as the country-people
have it, " brandis-wise ; " that is, in the form of a brandis, the
name by which the triangular stands on which kettles are set
on the hearth are called.

Whether Bennet's Cross was originally erected to mark a
boundary, or the path we are pursuing, cannot, of course, be
determined. The probability is that it was designed for
both purposes ; that a guide to the track being necessary it
was decided to set up the cross in a situation where it would
not only act as such, but define the parish boundaries at this
point as well.

In the vicinity of Bennet's Cross the ancient road from
Chagford joined the one from Moreton, the former being
marked near here by a monolith referred to in the records of
the forest as Heath Stone. This is also shown as defining the
road on a small map in a book published in 1720, being an
improved edition by John Owen, of the Middle Temple, of a
former work by Ogilby. In it our road across the forest is

* Nearly all the Dartmoor warrens are situated either in the neigh-
bourhood of Nevvhouse, or in the Plym valley. Huntingdon, w,hich we
have already noticed, is one of the exceptions. In speaking of the bridge
there (p. 19 ante) I inadvertentty stated that the warren was formed early
in the eighteenth century. This should have been the nineteenth. The
information I obtained about thirty years ago from Mr. Michelmore, a
grandson of the first encloser, and who then resided there. It was taken
in from the forest in 1808.

Of Dartmoor and its Borderland. 147

shown, with a branch to Plymouth from Two Bridges, as at
the present day. As the existing highway was not made till
after 1772, that which is shown by Owen was, of course, only
a rough track.

Proceeding on our way we soon arrive at Newhouse, or as it
is now called, the Warren House Inn, a small wayside hostelry.
Before the present house was built the old inn stood on the
opposite side of the road, but it has been pulled down for many
years. It was generally regarded as the scene of the story,
related by Mrs. Bray, of a traveller Avho discovered a corpse
in a chest in the chamber to which he had retired for the
night, and whose terror was only dispelled in the morning,
when he learned the meaning of so strange a circumstance.
The deep snow had prevented its removal for burial, so
the expedient had been adopted of preserving it in salt in the
old chest. I have heard it said that on the morning after his
adventure the traveller called at Prince Hall and related
what he had seen.

A story which I gathered many years ago on the moor
shows us that the dwellers in this out-of-the-way region are
by no means averse to indulging in a practical joke. A
farmer, who was unacquainted with the neighbourhood, being
at Newhouse with several moormen, was induced by a man
whom he happened to meet there to agree to the purchase of
what he imagined to be a flock of sheep. He afterwards
found that the seller, an individual named Debben, had got
the best of the bargain. The old ballad tells us how Robin
Hood, disguised as a butcher, once decoyed the Sheriff of
Nottingham to the glades of Sherwood Forest, under pretence
of selling him some horned cattle, but which turned out to be
the king's deer ; in the present instance, however, the sup-
posed sheep were found to be in reality nothing more than
granite stones. Near Siddaford Tor, in this vicinity, are two
circles known as the Grey Wethers, formed of upright stones,
of which several have, unfortunately, been taken away. It
seems that the victim of the joke, who was unaware of the
existence of these circles, was offered so many grey wethers
at such a price, being told that he might see them if he
wished, for they were "up in the new-take, near Siddaford
Tor." On the bargain being made he was rilled with chagrin
at discovering what it was he had engaged to purchase.

148 The Ancient Stone Crosses

Resuming our walk along the highway we shortly cross
Statsford Bridge, and ascend Meripit Hill. In July, 1831
Mr. Bray observed a fallen cross here, lying near a circular
pit, close to the road on the left, as he was going towards Post
Bridge. It was nine feet and three-quarters in length, and its
arms were very short ; but it was of a regular shape, and
better wrought than the crosses generally seen on the moor.

I find that on the map in Owen's book what certainly
seems to be the object seen by Mr. Bray, is shown. It is
there marked as " a stone called Merry Pit," and is placed on
the same side of the road as that on which the cross was
observed.

From Jonas Coaker, who was well known as the Dartmoor
Poet, and who died in 1890 at the age of 89, I gathered some
particulars concerning this cross, for without doubt it was to
this particular stone that he referred. He said that he remem-
bered a cross on Meripit Hill, which was afterwards removed
to Post Bridge, which is about a mile distant, and used as a
post for the toll-gate on the latter being erected there. When
the gate was abolished, but, if we remember rightly, before
the toll-house was pulled down, the posts were removed. I
have, however, never been able to learn what became of them,
nor to discover the remains of the cross.

This instance of wanton spoliation — one among the many
that have taken place on the moor — is not only to be
regretted, but arouses one's indignation. Stone is here in
abundance, but in order that a little labour might be saved, an
ancient relic has been lost to us.

On arriving at the moorland settlement of Post Bridge, we
shall notice on the right hand side of the road a gateway, with
a cottage, which was intended for a lodge to Stannon House,
which building, however, was never finished in the manner,
contemplated, but was turned into a labourer's dwelling,
Here, close to the lodge gate, formerly stood a cross, but
no one recollects it now. Jonas Coaker said that it was
known as Maggie Cross, and that he remembered it, but
was unable to say what had become of it.

In the entry in Mr. Bray's Journal* concerning the cross
on Meripit Hill, mention is also made of another that he saw

* Tiimitr and Tavy, vol. i, p. 299

Of D ay i moor and its Borderland. 149

on the same day at Post Bridge. This, he says, was near the
bridge and close to the road. That it was the cross which
Jonas Coaker remembered, there can be no doubt.

Crossing the modern bridge, and noticing just below it the
old clapper bridge, which is named in Owen's book, and which
is the finest example of these structures no\V existing on the
moor, we proceed for a few score yards on the road, when we
shall observe a turning on our right, where a rough track,
called Drift Lane, runs up by the side of the Dart. There
are traces of an ancient path on the moor in a line with this
road, and it is very probably a part of it. The latter is known
as Cut Lane, and led from the valley of the Dart over the
northern shoulder of Cut Hill, and the combe under Fur Tor
to the north-eastern and northern borders of the moor.

In 1260 Bishop Bronescombe, at the request of the in-
habitants of the villages of Balbeny and Pushy 11 in the forest,
permitted them to pay certain of their tithes to Widecombe,
where they worshipped, their parish church of Lydford being
at such a distance from them. That Cut Lane, as it is now
called, was one of the paths used by the inhabitants of the
villages named when it became necessary to visit their mother
church, there is no doubt. It is marked in places by stones,
but there is no cross to be found upon it, though I have some
reason for thinking that one did formerly point out its direction.

Another track in this part of the moor is the Lich Path,
referred to in Chapter xi., and said to have been used for the
purpose of carrying the dead to the churchyard at Lydford
for burial. It is plainly to be traced in many places, but
throughout its course I have never been able to find a solitary
cross, though, as in the case of Cut Lane, I have grounds
for believing that one, at least, once existed upon it.

Our road to the western precincts of the forest will next
lead us to Two Bridges, where is now a county bridge span-
ning the West Dart. Not far above it, on the Cowsic, is a
clapper, and it is said that one also formerly existed on the
Dart further down the stream.

Near the western end of the bridge the road divides, one
branch, as already stated, leading to Plymouth, the other to
Tavistock. The old track to the latter town seems to have
kept a little to the northward of the line of the present road, a
ruined clapper on the Blackabrook, close to Fice's Well,

150 The Ancient Stone Crosses

to which we have already alluded, indicating its direction.
But some two hundred years ago the track seems to have run
just as the present road does. On Owen's map one of the
objects marking the route from Two Bridges to Tavistock is
a " Great stone call'd Roundle." Now the Rundle Stone
until a few years ago stood by the side of the highway, on the
boundary line of the forest, which line it was mentioned as
marking in 1702. From this it seems certain that the path
which crossed the Blackabrook by the clapper at Fice's Well
had given place at the beginning of the eighteenth century to-
the track on which the modern road was formed.

The Rundle Stone was a pillar, seven feet in height and
four in girth. On one of its faces, near the top, the letter R
was cut in relief ; this was seven inches high. For some time
I saw it being used as a gate-post, and it was afterwards to be
seen lying by the wall close by. Now it has disappeared, and
I can glean no tidings of it. It has left its name upon the
spot where it stood for so long, and that is all that remains to
us of this old way-mark.

In the chapter on the Abbots' Way it was stated that a
later path was formed upon that old road throughout its
course from Long Ash Hill to Whitchurch Down.* At this
part of it we have now again arrived, and shall find that such
is proved by the existence of several guide stones on the
former hill, of a period subsequent to the time of the
monks. These have the letter A on one side of them and
T on the other, denoting that they point the way to Ash-
burton and to Tavistock. This track is in a line, or nearly so,
with that which we have mentioned as being formed by the
menhir above Merivale, the Windypost, and the cross on
Whitchurch Down.t

The road we have followed from Moreton is referred to in
a document of an earlier date than that of Owen's edition of
Ogilby's book. Mr. R. N. WTorth in a paper on Men and
Manners in Stuart Plymouth,^, gives a number of extracts

* p. 80, ante. The track trom Moreton, and from Ashburton, joined
the ancient Abbots' Way near the Rundle Stone, if the latter path ran, as
we have supposed, to the eastward of North Hisworthy Tor. Jobbers'
Cross was also in the vicinity, and it is not unlikely was the point where
the paths met. f P- 8o> ante.

J Trans. Devon Assoc., vol. xv. p. 475.

Of Dartvioor and its Borderland. 151

from the Municipal Records of that borough, among which
occurs the following : —

1699-1700

Item paid towards defraying the charges of putting vpp Morre-
stones on Dartmoor in the way leading from Plymouth towards Exon
for gnideing of Travellers passing that way the sume of £2.

Having thus followed the Moreton road to the western
purlieus of the forest, and noticed the objects on it which have
called us so far, we here leave it at the point where its early
forerunner probably joined the way of the monks that led
to Tavistock, and retrace our steps towards the town whence
we set out.

Just after passing Moor Gate, where we enter on the
enclosed lands at the fourth milestone from Moreton, a
turning on the right, or south side of the road, will be / / •
observed. Here a path leads across two fields to Leeper, C*
a border farm, where the upper portion of a fine cross was
recently found. As it had been built into the wall of the
garden in such a manner as to expose its face, its existence
was, of course, known to the dwellers at the farm, but little
or no notice had ever been taken of the stone by them. It is
three feet four inches high, and one foot ten inches across the
arms, one of which has been broken and is very short. The
width of the shaft is about fifteen inches, and the arms are
eleven inches deep. There is a Latin cross in relief placed in K ^ ^
the centre, twenty-five inches high and twelve and-a-half
inches across the arms, the limbs being three inches wide. A»
Whether this cross originally marked the track we have
pursued across the forest, or a path between Beetor Cross
and the Challacombe Valley, or a branch to Widecombe,
cannot, of course, be determined. It is a fine example, and
judging from its present proportions was, when complete, not
less than six feet high.

152 The Ancient Stone Crosses

CHAPTER XV.
Crosses on the Bovey River.

Horse Pit Cross — An Old-time Village — North Bcrvey Cross — Cross at
Hele — Tradition of a Chapel by the Stream — Disappearance of the
Manaton Cross — Its Socket-stone — Cross at South Harton Gate — Cross
Park — The Bishop's Stone — Inscribed Stone at Lustleigh — Crosses at
Bovey Tracey — Cross at Sanduck.

In the parishes of North Bovey, Lustleigh and Bovey
Tracey, which are watered by a tributary of the Teign, from
which the first and last of those places derive their names, are
several crosses, and these will now claim our attention.

Moretonhampstead will again become our starting-place,
and we shall leave the town by the North Bovey road.
About a mile from it we reach a point where this road is
crossed by another, and shall here find an old stone cross
standing a few feet from the hedge. An adjoining field is
known as Horse Pit, and this name has been bestowed upon
the venerable stone. It is barely three-and-a-half feet high,
and it is possible that a portion of the bottom part of the shaft
may be missing. Across the arms, which are one foot in
depth, the measurement is twenty-two inches ; the shaft is
nine inches thick, and a little more than this in width. On
one face — which looks S.E. by £. — it has the letter N, and on
the other the letter O, standing respectively for Newton and
Okehampton. At the end of the arm pointing in the direction
of Moretonhampstead, is an M, and in a similar position on
the other, a B, showing the traveller the way to North Bovey.
These letters are incised.

The village of North Bovey, which we shall soon reach
from Horse Pit Cross, presents a very charming picture, and
one that impresses the visitor as being truly English in all its
features. The houses are grouped around a grove of noble
old oaks, and as we stand beneath their boughs and look
about us we shall note with pleasure that among the
usual accompaniments of a rural settlement, the village can
boast of its ancient cross. It is true that for a time this was
unkindly, or thoughtlessly, banished from its proper place, and

Of Dartmoor and its Borderland. 153

made to serve the purpose of a foot-bridge over a rivulet
that falls into the Bovey Brook a short distance below the
village, but this we are willing to forgive at seeing it once
more standing erect, in, or near, its original situation. To the
Rev. J. P. Jones, a gentleman whose writings prove him to
have been possessed of true antiquarian tastes, do we owe the
preservation of this old memorial of other times. He caused
it to be brought from the rivulet, and after having the base,
or socket-stone, which had been cast on one side, set firmly in
the ground, had the cross fixed upon it. This was done not
long after the passing of "An Act for the Relief of His
Majesty's Roman Catholic Subjects," in April, 1829, Mr.
Jones then being the curate of North Bovey. Whether this
piece of legislation was instrumental in bringing about a
decision to restore this cross, or whether the time chosen was
merely accidental, I am not able to say.

The cross is five feet two inches in height, the shaft being
fourteen inches in width at the bottom, and nine-and-a-half
inches in thickness ; immediately under the arms it is an inch
wider. Across the arms the measurement is twenty-five
inches ; one of these projects four, and the other five-and-
a-half inches, and they spring off at a distance of three feet
eleven inches from the bottom. The head rises five-and-
a-half inches above them. Four small iron clamps secure the
shaft in the socket, which is much too large for it, from which
circumstance it has been supposed that the cross did not
originally belong to the base. But from what I was once
able to gather from an old inhabitant of the village, who
remembered very well when the cross was re-erected, it does
not appear that such a belief existed at the time. The work-
manship in each is plain, and of precisely similar character,
and apart from the size of the socket they certainly seem
intended for one another. It is possible that the socket may
have been enlarged in order to permit of the cross being set
nearer to the centre of the stone, or the foot of the shaft may
have been shaped like one we shall presently notice at South
Harton Farm, in the parish of Lustleigh, and this would
necessitate a very large socket. The base-stone is fourteen
inches high, and very nearly three feet square at the bottom,
but gathered into an octagon at the top. One of its corners
is broken off.

154 The Ancient Stone Crosses

From North Bovey we shall proceed to Hele, making our
way thither by descending to the higher bridge over the
Bovey Brook, and following the lane that leads by Yard
Farm. As we approach Hele House, which is about a mile
and a half from North Bovey, we shall see the cross standing
high above the road on our right, and shall at once
perceive that it is an exceedingly fine example. It is a
Maltese cross, and the arms and shaft are octagonal. The
ba:- e in which it is set is a stone ten inches high, rectangular
at the bottom, and measuring thirty-six by twenty-nine inches,
but at the top formed into an octagon. The cross is five feet
ten inches in height, the lower part of the shaft being square,
but assuming the octagonal form one foot from the bottom.
At this point it is forty-two inches in girth, and this diminishes
to thirty-seven inches immediately under the arms ; close to
the shaft these are one inch less than this in girth. They
spring off at the height of four feet five inches from the
bottom, and measure twenty-five inches across. The head
rises seven inches above them.

A tradition exists in the neighbourhood that a small chapel
once stood close to the stream which runs just below, and
that from there the cross was brought. Around it pilgrims
were wont to gather ere setting out across the moor to visit
the abbey of Tavistock, and to offer prayers in the little shrine.

Hele Cross stands upon masonry raised to the height of
several feet. Mr. Ormerod seeing that it was in danger of
being undermined through a hollow having been scooped out
close to it by persons taking away gravel, called the attention
of those interested in its preservation to the matter, and in
1868 it was moved back a little and fixed in its present posi-
tion, and secured by a clamp, by a mason of North Bovey.
This was done, I have been informed, at the expense of the
late Earl of Devon.

Retracing our steps we shall pass near the village of North
Bovey, and so make our way by the lane and some pleasant
path-fields to Manaton. Here the well-kept green, bordered
with trees, will at once attract the attention of the visitor,
while he will also not fail to be struck with the romantic
surroundings.

A cross formerly stood in Manaton churchyard, but the
base of it alone remains. One day, to the surprise of the

Of Dartmoor and its Borderland. 155

inhabitants, it was found to have been removed, but where, or
by whom, they could not at first discover. At length it began
to be rumoured that it had been taken away by no less a
person than the rector himself, and for the reason that the
people had made a practice when bringing their dead for
burial of carrying the corpse thrice round the cross before
taking it into the church. This custom did not commend
itself to the rector, the Rev. John Charles Carwithen, whose
influence over his flock, one would imagine, could not have
been very great, or he would certainly have been able to
dissuade them from the performance of so meaning-
less a ceremony. It is very certain he could not have
possessed much reverence for antiquities, or he would have
hesitated to commit such an act of vandalism as to rob
Manaton of its cross. Mr. Carwithen, who was instituted
in 1841, and remained in the parish until 1848, was the eighth
rector of that name.

But the discovery of Iconoclast is one thing : the finding
the place where he has hidden his broken images another.
Manaton Cross has never been seen since the night the rector
removed it. Old William Derges, a former sexton, remem-
bered the searches for the missing cross. It was thought that
it might have been buried, and all likely spots were carefully
probed, the result, however, being nothing but disappoint-
ment. The rector had done his work too well.

The base of the cross, which is near the south-east corner
of the chancel, is of granite, measuring thirty-two inches by
thirty, and having its surface level with the turf. The socket
is rather over fourteen inches square, and five inches deep.

Crossing the green and passing in front of the rectory with
its old granite gateway, we proceed a short distance up the
lane, and then strike over some path-fields on the right.
In a few minutes we shall reach the edge of a wood, clothing
the steep side of a valley, across which rises a rock-strewn hill,
and over this our way lies. Descending the hill, through the
wood to Foxworthy, we speedily find ourselves in the re-
nowned Lustleigh Cleave. Passing a pile of rocks that we
see midway up the acclivity on the left, we leave the
path, and after a rather toilsome climb, gain the summit.
Not far from a plantation is one of the entrances to
South Harton Farm, and if we can obtain permission

156 The Ancient Stons Crosses

to pass that way it will shorten the distance to the
object we are desirous of reaching. Beyond the court a
private road leads to the main entrance gate, and immediately
without this, and built into the wall, on the left as we emerge,
will be seen an ancient cross. It has been split down the
centre to form a pair of gate-posts, but the parts are now
fitted neatly together. There is no attempt at any ornamenta-
tion, but it is a good example of a plain wayside cross, and to
Mr. Wills, a former occupier of South Harton, who placed it
here for preservation, the antiquary, and indeed all who
delight to find these relics of the past by our highways and
in our quiet lanes, must feel indebted. Its total height is six
feet three inches, and the height to the arms four feet ten
inches. These measure twenty inches across, and project
about three inches from the shaft. The thickness of the latter
is thirteen inches, except at its foot, where it is greater; it is
also rather wider there than immediately under the arms. It
is possible that the lower part of the shaft of the cross at
North Bovey was fashioned in a similar manner, and if so the
size of the socket is explained.

We turn up the lane on the left hand, but soon bending
round to the right shall proceed to Higher Coombe farm-
house. Passing this *nd arriving at the gate opening on the
parish road, we shall observe another gate immediately
opposite. Through this a field called Cross Park is entered,
and near its centre we shall perceive a cross fixed upon a
granite rock. This formerly stood in the bank near by and
was placed in its present situation in 1860, by Mr. Amery,
who then occupied the farm. On approaching it we shall find
it to consist of the upper portion only, a great part of the shaft
being missing. It is twenty-eight inches high ; its width
eleven inches, and its thickness nine. The arms, one of
which has a small piece broken off from it, are twenty-three
inches across, and above them the head rises nine inches.
The cross is carefully secured in its place by four small iron
clamps. It is gratifying to find that, like the cross at South
Harton, this interesting object has not been cast aside or
destroyed. From Cross Park a walk of about a mile will
bring us to Lustleigh.

By the roadside, and very near to the railway station, a
large block of granite may be seen, raised above the level of

Of Dartmoor and its Borderland. 157

the ground, and built into a modern wall. It has been
suggested that it is the pedestal of a cross, and this is not
improbable. There is no socket cut in it, but upon it may
have been placed the stone in which the cross was set. It is
two feet in height, and the lower part is square, but having
the corners chamfered, the side facing the road measuring just
over three feet. Fourteen inches from the bottom the corners
are cut away, forming the top into an octagon, the sides of
which are seventeen and eighteen inches across. It is known
as the Bishop's Stone, and some faint carving on one of its
sides is said to represent the arms of Bishop Grandisson, who,
according to a tradition, dined upon it, when passing on one
occasion through Lustleigh. But there seems to be a better
explanation of its name ; it is probable that the stone once
marked the boundary of some episcopal possessions. The late
Mr. J. B. Davidson in a paper relating to a document now in
the Albert Memorial Museum at Exeter, setting forth some
ancient boundaries in this and adjoining parishes, suggests
that this stone, or an inscribed stone that is now in the south
porch of Lustleigh Church, is one of the bond-marks named
in the manuscript the Writelan Stone. He states that he
considers it probable that the lands comprehended within the
boundaries mentioned on the document were in some way
connected with the See of Exeter, one ^ict tending to confirm
this supposition being that the ancient piece of writing was
found among the Cathedral archives. If then the tract of
land in question was really so connected, it would seem more
likely that the granite block now known as the Bishop's stone
is identical with the Writelan Stone, than that we see this old
boundary mark in the stone at the church.

The latter is laid across the south entrance, a situation
from which it certainly ought to be rescued, as although it is
now kept covered by a mat in order that the characters upon
it may not be utterly effaced, it is by no means one likely to
aid in its preservation. The inscription upon it has been read
as CATVIDOC CONRINO, but some of the letters are not very
distinct.

From Lustleigh we shall proceed to Bovey Tracey by the
road connecting Moretonhampstead with that town, and just
as we enter it shall notice the lower portion of the shaft of a
cross, fixed in a base of granite, and standing on some

158 The Ancient Stone Crosses

masonry several feet above the roadway. It is partly built
into the wall of a garden belonging to Cross Cottage, and near
a lane leading to a farm called Higher Atway. Dr. Croker,
who has left us some geological notices of the district, as well
as a brief account of the eastern part of Dartmoor, placed
the cross where we see it now, as the widening of the
road many years since necessitated its removal from its
original situation. Both the piece of shaft and the socket-
stone are of very plain workmanship, and are much weathered.
The former, which is thirty-four inches high, is sixteen inches
wide at the bottom, and its corners are slightly chamfered.
The latter measures about four-and-a-half feet across. There
is a small incised cross on the shaft which, it is plainly to be
seen, is comparatively modern. It is said to have been placed
on it when the stone was built into the wall.

Formerly the day on which the portreeve of Bovey
is chosen was observed as a holiday, and was known as
Mayor's Monday, as it fell upon the first Monday after the
3rd of May. It was the practice in former times for the
" Mayor of Bovey " on these festive occasions to ride round
this cross and strike it with a stick.

The market cross of Bovey, which stands in the middle of
the town, is a striking object, particularly when approached
by the road leading from the bridge. It stands upon a
base and pedestal of two steps, but previous to 1865
was not in its present situation. It, however, stood
close by, and was moved in order to make room for a
new Town Hall. The pedestal is raised upon a modern
foundation, which forms as it were a lower stage, and consist-
ing of blocks of cut granite, square at the bottom, but with
the corners steeply sloped, so that its top is octagonal, which
is the form the steps of the pedestal take. These steps are
about eighteen inches in height, each having a moulding at
the top, very much worn and broken, and the lower one a
chamfered plinth. The base or socket-stone is three feet ten
inches square at the bottom, and gathered into an octagon at
the top. It is nineteen-and-a-half inches high. Upon this is
fixed the shaft, which like the socket-stone is square at the
bottom, but a short distance up the angles are chamfered, and
it becomes octagonal. It is of a tapering form, and about
eight feet high. On this, as the original was missing, is fixed a

Of Dartmoor and Us Borderland. 159

head of modern workmanship, the gift of the Hon. Canon
Courtenay. The design is good, and thoroughly in keeping
with the old shaft. It was cut by a stone-mason of the town
named Treleaven.

From Bovey Town Cross we shall pass up the hill to the
outskirts, where the church is situated. Entering the church-
yard by the south gate we shall perceive on our right a
very handsome cross, upon which it is impossible to look
without feelings of mingled regret and pleasure. Regret at
noticing that but little of the original cross remains, arid
pleasure when we see what good results a careful and
judicious "restoration" may effect. Though only the lower
portion of the shaft and one of the arms of the old cross were
to be found, so well has the work of supplying the parts that
were deficient been executed, that we can feel confident we
see in what has been produced a perfect counterpart of the
old Bovey churchyard cross. The shaft being of a tapering
form, and an arm existing, its proportions could, with the
exercise of care, be accurately determined ; this trouble was
not grudged, and the result is most happy.

The late Earl of Devon, when Lord Courtenay, discovered
the fragments of the old cross serving the purpose of a step at
the churchyard gate. They were removed, and the cross was
set up near the east end of the church. Being thrown down
it was again set up, but was once more overturned. Lord
Courtenay then obtained permission to remove it to Powder-
ham as a trust, where it was repaired and fixed upon a
pedestal. When the Hon. Canon Courtenay became vicar
of Bovey, the Earl of Devon mentioned the above circum-
stance to him, and the cross was then brought back and
re-erected in the churchyard. This account of the discovery
and " restoration " of Bovey churchyard cross was furnished
to Mr. Ormerod by Canon Courtenay.

The base in which the cross is set is one foot high, with
chamfered angles, standing upon a pedestal of three low steps,
and octagonal in form. It is a Maltese cross, and the angles
are chamfered. Its height is exactly six feet.

It will thus be seen that the little town of Bovey Tracey
can boast of three erect crosses. Neither of them occupies
precisely its original position, but at the same time has not
lacked kindly aid to its preservation.

160 The Ancient Stone Crosses

On each side of the south porch of Bovey Tracey Church
is a large flat granite stone, laid upon the low bank bordering
the path to form a sort of coping. One is six-and-a-half feet
long, and the other* a little less, while in width they are both
two feet three inches. They have each a very large cross
incised upon them in outline, with a rectangular base bearing
lines cut in relief. Of these lines two cross diagonally, and
intersect each other in the centre, while an upright line also
cuts through the centre, so that the device bears a resemblance
to the stripes on the national flag of the Royal navy. It is also
similar to the lower half of the monogram usually known as
the cross of Constantine.

The extensive plain of Bovey Heathfield lies to the south
of the town, and it is stated in Letters, Historical and
Botanical, relating to places in the Vale of Teign, by Dr.
Fraser Halle, which appeared in 1851, that tradition
pointed to it as the spot where a conflict took place
between the troops of Cromwell, who was there in person, and
the royalist brigade under Lord Wentworth, resulting in the
defeat of the latter. A granite pillar, which when the Rev. J.
P. Jones wrote his History of Teignbridge (which has not been
published) was used as a gate-post, was said to mark the spot
where one of the officers was buried, and to be the remains of
an ancient cross.

A cross has recently been discovered at Sanduck, a farm
in the district with which this chapter deals. In order to
include it in the ramble we have just sketched, it would be a
good plan to visit that place after leaving South Harton Gate,
whence, without retracing our steps, we could make our way
to Higher Coombe. The Sanduck Cross was found in the
foundations of the farmhouse which was burnt down in April,
1901, on the day of the annual harrier hunt meet on Bellaford
Tor. It is a small cross, with chamfered corners, and of
elegant proportions.

Of Dartmoor and its Borderland. 161

CHAPTER XVI.

Widecombe-in-the-Moor and the Crosses in its
Neighbourhood.

Ilsington— Bag Tor Mill— Cross on Rippon Tor— Cross in Buckland
Churchyard— Wayside Cross at Buckland— Dunstone— Cross in
Vicarage Garden at Widecombe— Base of Cross on Widecombe
Green— Crosses in the Churchyard— Thunder Storm of 1638 —
Hameldon and its Barrows— Hameldon Cross— The Coffin Stone—
Dartmeet — Ouldsbroom Cross— Cross Furzes — Dean Prior — Ancient
Track to Plympton — Conclusion.

Our investigations will now take us to that part of Dart-
moor lying to the eastward of the Webburn, a tributary of the
Dart, where the long valley of Widecombe thrusts itself far
up into the moorlands, and our first point will be the summit
of Rippon Tor, a lofty eminence in the parish of Ilsington.

From Bovey we may make our way to the common
crowned by the granite bosses of Hey Tor, or, if we prefer
it, we may pass through pleasant lanes to Brimley and thence
to Ilsington village, from which place we can also conveniently
gain the down. Mr. Charles Worthy in his Ashburton and its
Neighbourhood, published in 1875, in noticing Ilsington Church,
refers to a block of granite on its south side, which he says
" may possibly be the remains of the ancient churchyard
cross." This, however, appears to be a mistake. I have
carefully searched for it, but could not discover any such
stone, and the Rev. Thomas Hales, the late vicar, told me
that he had never known of the base of a cross there.

On reaching the common we shall see the fine frontier hill
we are about to scale rising boldly before us. When we have
accomplished our task, we shall discover, at a distance of only
thirty yards from the top of the cairn which crowns the hill,
the object which has attracted us hither— a granite cross. I
am indebted for my knowledge of this venerable relic to
Mr. Spence Bate, not having noticed it on the tor before my
attention was drawn to it by his account.* It is totally unlike

* Inscribed Stones, etc. Trans. Plymouth Institut, vol. vi.

1 6a The Ancient Stone Crosses

any other of the Dartmoor examples, inasmuch as it could
never have been intended to be set up, for it is simply cut in
relief on the surface of a large block of granite. It is six feet
eight inches long, the breadth of the shaft being fifteen inches
The bottom of the shaft seems to have been broken, as also
does one of the arms, while the other is not very clearly cut.
It stands out in relief about six inches from the surface of the
rock on which it is carved.

From its situation near the summit of a tor, this cross, as
Mr. Spence Bate observes, was evidently not intended as a
mark to any path, "as most of the moorland crosses un-
doubtedly were." His opinion is that this symbol of the
Christian faith was carved at a time when this sign was held
to be all powerful in freeing from evil those places where the
mysterious rites of Pagan superstition had been observed, and
that Rippon Tor may have been such a spot.

Descending from the tor in a northerly direction to Hems-
worthy Gate, which opens on the Chagford road, we shall
find within a few yards of it, in a corner formed by newtake
walls, an object which will have an interest for us.

The late Mr. Robert Dymond, of Exeter, and Blackslade
in the parish of Widecombe, having been kind enough to call
my attention to the fact that in the perambulation of his
manor of Dunstone, this corner, which forms one of the
boundary points, is named Stittleford's Cross, I made search
on the spot for the purpose of ascertaining whether any traces
of such an object were to be found there. I was unsuccessful
in discovering a cross of the ordinary character, but found
a stone fixed firmly in the ground, and forming part of the
wall, bearing a small incised cross, with the letters R M
immediately underneath it. The stone stands nearly three
and a half feet above the ground, and is sixteen inches wide,
the lines of the cross each being six inches, which also is the
height of the letters.

On communicating what I had observed to Mr.
Dymond, he expressed his belief that the lettters were the
initials of Rawlin Mallock, who more than a century ago, laid
claims to the lordship of the manor.

It is not unlikely that this stone was erected on the spot
where an ancient cross once stood, but which had disappeared
in all but the name at the time of the erection of the present

Of Dartmoor and its Borderland. 163

boundary mark. Being near the junction of roads, the place
is precisely such as we should expect to find chosen as the
site of one.

The name is somewhat similar to that of the farm of
Chittleford, in the immediate vicinity, but whether it be a
corruption of it or not, I am unable to say.

We now turn southward, following the Ashburton road for
about a mile and a quarter to Cold East Cross. On the way we
pass the ruined walls of Newhouse, which when Rowe wrote
his Perambulation was a small hostelry. Then striking over the
common on the right, we shall descend upon the retired hamlet
of Buckland-in-the-Moor ; or, if we prefer it, may follow the
road to that place, which will take us by Welstor Cross. We
shall find that Buckland can furnish us with more than one
example of the objects in quest of which our steps have
brought us to this quarter of the moorlands. Laid as a
coping stone on the low wall of the churchyard, quite close
to the south gate, is the upper portion of the octagonal shaft
of a cross, with the head and one of the arms. Owing to its
being covered in part with ivy, no accurate measurements of
it can be taken, but the fragment is about two feet in length.
Just without the gate, and built of granite stones, of which
many have a coating of moss, is what was perhaps the
pedestal of this cross, though from the size of the sycamore
tree that now grows in its centre it is certain that a very long
period must have elapsed since it stood there. Its shape is
octagonal ; it measures over ten feet across, and each of its
sides from four feet to four feet and a few inches. Its height
is about twenty-two inches, and the slabs composing its top
project and form a cornice.

The little church of Buckland-in-the-Moor is an ancient
structure, and possesses several interesting features. It is a
daughter church to Ashburton, and is so described in Bishop
Lacy's Register of the year 1420. The manor was given by
Roger of Buckland to Tor Abbey about the beginning of the
thirteenth century.

The other example is not far distant. It is a rude cross
built into the wall of the lawn at Buckland, between the
entrance doors and the higher gate. At some period it has
been used at a gate-post, as is shown by a broken hole,
evidently drilled to receive a hinge. One shoulder slightly

164 The Ancient Stont Crosses

protrudes from the face of the wall, as it is not squarely built
in, while the other is hidden. It partakes of the character of
a wayside cross.

The scenery in the neighbourhood of this secluded settle-
ment is of the most attractive character. In the valley the
Dart, fresh from the rugged hills, flows between the Buckland
Woods and Holne Chase, the paths above the river's banks
opening up a constant succession of beauties, while from the
hill above many a noble tor may be seen lifting its granite
crest in the still air.

A walk of about a mile and a half will bring us to Cocking-
ford, where we cross the East Webburn, as it comes down
from Widecombe, to which place we shall now proceed.

Just before reaching the village we shall pass by the
hamlet of Dunstone, where, on the green, is a large block of
granite, from which it has been thought the place may
possibly have taken its name. Here, in former times, the
manor courts were held, and the chief rents were deposited in
a hollow on this stone. The late Mr. Dymond resolved to
revive this custom, and about twenty years ago an open-air
court was held here.

Close by the stone a cross formerly stood, but was
removed many years ago by the Rev. J. H. Mason, who was
vicar of Widecombe from 1815 till his death in 1860, and
placed by him for preservation in the vicarage garden.* It
is now fixed at the end of a low wall, and over the lower
portion of the shaft some ivy has spread itself, as if to shelter

* While it is pleasing to find that this ancient cross has been
preserved, it is at the same time much to be regretted that it was
considered necessary to remove it from its original site, and to erect it in a
private garden, where none can see it except as a favour. In the case of
the Lynscott Cross, described on page 140. it is satisfactory to note that
this time-worn stone has been re-erected on the nearest suitable spot to
that at which it was found serving as a gate-post. The work has been
accomplished while the preceding sheets were passing through the press'
The cross now stands on a bank close to the ancieut highway, and a little
on the Moreton side of the field in which Dr. Stephens discovered it. It
now stands about five-and-a-half feet high, and is placed so that the face
on which is the incised cros^ is seen from the road. That there was
also an incised cross on the other face becomes evident when the stone is
closely examined, but in sinking the holes for the bars the markings have
in great part been destroyed. The Lynscott Cross forms a pleasing
object by the wayside, and antiquaries will feel indebted to Dr. Stephens
for calling attention to it, aud urging the desirability of its removal and
re-erection, and to Mr. Charles Cuming for promptly recognising this in
so practical a manner.

Of Dartmoor and its Borderland. 165

the grey old relic from the rude blasts of the neighbouring
hills.

The cross, which is rather rudely cut, measures three feet
less an inch in height, and across the arms is about one foot
eleven inches. In depth the arms are nine inches, on the face
which now fronts the garden. The width of the head is thir-
teen inches, and it rises nine inches above the arms ; it is
about five inches in thickness close to their upper surface, but
grows less towards the top. Below the arms the thickness of
the shaft is about seven inches, and its width fifteen inches.

On one face there is an incised cross measuring about ten
inches in height by five inches across. It is not placed
between the arms, but below them, and is not in the centre of
the shaft.

It is probable that in the olden days, the dwellers in this
tor-surrounded combe resorted to this cross to offer their
devotions, many a prayer doubtless having been breathed, and
thanksgiving poured forth before it —

" This was the scene : — the old man there,

More motionless than sculptured stone ;
The moorland beacon wild and bare ;
And, high upraised in stillest air,
The cross against the western glare,
'Mid glory all its own.

•• And, like the seraph strains which flow

From million harps or golden lyre,
Such words as these, good angels know,
Fell from that old man, grave and slow,
Borne upward through the evening glow,
As incense, high and higher.

* * *

" ' Thou art ' the same,' for ever One ;

And Thy Great Sign shall never die,—
For when the circling years have run,
A cross no human eye can shun
Shall e'en out-gleam both star and sun,
Bright on the eastern sky.' "*

Near the gate of Widecombe churchyard we shall find the
base of a cross standing in the centre of the green. The cross
itself is gone, and in its place a small yew tree is growing.

*T. Vernon Wollaston. Slat Crux Dum Volvitur Orbis. Lyra
Devoniensis.

1 66 The Ancient Stone Crosses

This base consists of two steps and is octagonal in shape.
A plinth about six inches high runs round the bottom, the
sides of it varying from about four feet three inches in length,
to a few inches more than this. The sides of the first step
measure about four feet long and those of the upper one
average about three feet and a half. The steps are each one
foot five inches in height, the measurement of the lower one
being taken from the top of the plinth, and their edges project
a little, after the manner of stairs in carpentry. The tread of
the step is about one foot, and the diameter of the top of this
basement is about eight feet and a half.

Around the plinth the ground is worn away, exposing the
smaller stones which form the foundation of the structure.

Entering the churchyard we shall observe close to the
south door of the church, a socket-stone, with the lower part
of the shaft of a cross fixed in it. This stone measures three
feet six inches by three feet two inches, and at the bottom is
quadrangular, but its upper edge is roughly formed into an
octagon.

The broken shaft is about two feet seven inches in height,
and at the top, measures eleven inches by nine and a half.
The shape of, it here is octagonal, as, at a short distance from
the bottom, which is square, the corners are chamfered.

Built into the exterior of the east wall of the churchyard
will be found two parts of a cross, one consisting of a piece of
the shaft, and the other of the top of the same with the arms.
These pieces are fixed one on the other, but the broken ends
do not fit where placed together. Taking the measurement of
them as one, I find the height to be three feet four inches, and
the distance across the arms is two feet one inch, the depth
of them being about ten inches, and the width of the shaft
about the same.

The shape of these pieces is octagonal, like the shaft by
the church door, but whether they were broken off from that,,
or are parts of the cross that formerly stood on the basement
on the green, cannot, of course, be determined.

We have a good deal of information about matters per-
taining to this village in a book entitled Things New and Old
Concerning the Parish of Widecombe-in-the-Moor, edited by Mr.
Dymond, and it is there stated that in January, 1876, in
clearing some steps in the church which had formed the

Of Dartmoor and its Borderland. 167

ascent to the rood-loft, but which for long years had been
hidden from view behind a walled-up Gothic doorway, a piece
of the shaft of the churchyard cross was discovered, measuring
about twenty inches in length. At the same time three small
granite crosses were found, each being twenty-nine inches
high, one having an incised cross in the centre, between the
arms.

The tower of the church of " Withycombe in the Dart-
moores " is justly celebrated for its fine proportions, and the
fabric itself has had more written about it than any other
of the Dartmoor churches on account of its association
with the great thunder-storm of 1638. On a wooden
tablet we may read the details of it, in rhyme, said to be
written by one Hill, the village schoolmaster, who, it has
been supposed, was related to Roger Hill, one of those who
perished in the storm.

Our investigations will next lead us to Hameldon, a high
and conspicuous hill which forms a barrier between this
pleasant combe and the forest. We shall therefore leave the
village by the road which leads to the head of the vale, but
shall not follow it far. On our left we shall shortly perceive
a very steep lane, and making our way up this shall reach
a field, across which a path will take us to the commons.

On gaining the summit, we shall find that a wall extends
along the lofty ridge, and is carried at one part of its course
over a barrow consisting of earth and stone. This barrow is
known as Hameldon Beacon, and from this point some land-
marks will serve as a guide to enable us to find an old cross
which is situated on this hill.

Keeping the wall on our left hand, and proceeding in a
direction nearly due north, Two Barrows will soon be reached.
Here the wall is carried down the side of the hill towards the
west, but we shall continue our course to another barrow,
which we shall remark at a short distance off. This is Single
Barrow, and from here we shall pass on to Broad Barrow,
from the top of which, looking nearly north, we shall see
what from here appears like an ordinary granite post, but
which we shall presently find to be an ancient cross.

From the Beacon to Broad Barrow we have been able to
feast our eyes at every step upon a view embracing the whole
of the central parts of the moor, as well as of a number of

1 68 The Ancient Stone Crosses

prominent heights in both the northern and southern portions
of it. To anyone wishing to gain some idea of the extent of
Dartmoor, Hameldon offers the most advantageous point from
which to obtain it, though the true character of the moorland
region is not revealed so fully as from Cut Hill in the north
quarter of the forest. From the latter height many of the
more solitary parts of the great waste are seen, with scarcely a
sign of cultivation, while from Hameldon much of the enclosed
portion of Dartmoor is commanded, and also a wide extent of
South and East Devon. From Cosdon Beacon in the north-
north-west, the eye ranges by a vast extent of moor round to
Great Mistor in the west, and thence, taking in North Hessary
Tor, we look to the south-west, to the dark hills of the southern
quarter of the forest, and see in the far distance the Eastern
Beacon on Ugborough Moor and near it the neighbouring
peak of Brent Hill. Looking across the Widecombe valley
we obtain a grand view of numerous rocky eminences, among
which are Hey Tor, Rippon Tor and Hound Tor, while nearer
to us the noble heights of Honeybag and Chinkwell Tors, and
Bonehill Rocks lift their lofty heads above the combe. The
view is truly magnificent, and in whichever direction the
observer turns he is sure to be impressed with the grandeur
of the surroundings, and the wild aspect of the desert range —

" Where the grey Tor, as in ages of yore,
Mocks the mad war of the storm on the Moor,
Bravely exposing its huge granite crest,
Or wrapt iii a cloud like an angel at rest."*

We shall soon reach the old cross which is situated on the
hill, just at the point where we sight the house belonging to
Headland Warren in the valley below.

We shall find it to be a very rudely-fashioned one, formed
out of a slab four feet four inches in height, the width of it
immediately below the arms being one foot eight inches. One
of the arms — the southerly one — is broken off, and lies on the
ground near by. The depth of the remaining one close to the
shaft is thirteen inches, but it is not nearly so much as this at
its extremity. The head has also been broken, but it
does not appear that it ever rose very much above the
arms. From the end of the arm which is now remaining,

* Capern. Song of the Devonian.

Of Dartmoor and its Borderland . 169

to the opposite side of the shaft the distance is two feet
two inches. The thickness of this cross at the bottom is
eight inches, but it is not much more than six inches higher
up. It is leaning considerably towards the west.

On the eastern face are the modern letters H.C., which I
take to mean Hameldon Cross, and beneath them the letters
D. S., while under them again is the date 1854. We shall
have observed that on the four barrows, which we have
passed on this hill, there were stones set up with the name of
each barrow cut on them, and having also the letters D. S.,
and the same date as we find on the cross. These were placed
here to mark the boundary of Natsworthy Manor, at the time
it belonged to the Duke of Somerset, and the old cross being
also a manor boundary, had the letters engraven on it as well.
The original purpose of this cross was doubtless the same as
that which it serves at present.

Mr. Spence Bate in his paper to which we have more than
once referred,* and which I had not seen when my first
account of this cross was published, in 1883, gives the date
upon it as 1839, in which year, he says, it was set up after
having been for some time partially buried in the soil. There
is some confusion here, for the date on the cross is as we have
given it. About twenty years ago I met one of the men at
Widecombe who was concerned in the cutting of the figures
and letters upon it, and also on the other boundary stones.

Bidding adieu to this storm-beaten old. stone, standing in
loneliness on this lofty hill, we turn southward, and at the
distance of two miles and a half shall reach Bittleford Down,
where we strike a road that will lead us to the hamlet of
Ponsworthy. We turn up the lane on the right and on
gaining the open moor, cross the northern edge of Sherberton
Common to Dartmeet Hill, which we descend for some
distance. A green path leading from the road will be
observed just where the latter makes a considerable sweep to
the right. This we shall follow, and when about midway
down shall reach an object which is known in the neighbour-
hood as the 'Coffin Stone, and which I have included among
the relics we are now examining in consequence of its surface
bearing several incised crosses.

* Trans. Plymouth Institut., vol. vi.

170 The Ancient Stone Crosses

It is situated immediately beside the path, and consists in
reality of two stones, though these were evidently one at some
period, having probably been rent asunder, by some convulsion
of nature.*

One of the stones — the higher one — has seven small crosses
cut on it, and the letters SI, S C, AC, with traces of others.
The lower stone has the letters I B, I P, of somewhat larger
size, with but two crosses graven on it. The larger of these
stones measures eight feet and a half long, by about three feet
in width, the other being six feet long and about three and a
half feet across at its widest part ; this latter is triangular in shape.

The Coffin Stone is so called in consequence of its having
long been customary to rest the coffin here, when a corpse is
being carried to Widecombe-in-the-Moor for burial. The
letters are the initials of some whose remains have here
been placed for a while when on the journey to the
tomb.f I have seen the mourners grouped around this
stone, in the quiet stillness of a summer afternoon, while
the bearers rested in their toilsome ascent. The blue sky
clear and cloudless, the river below laughing in the sunshine,
all nature looking bright and joyous, but failing to cheer
those hearts saddened and filled with woe.

We shall obtain a fine view of the vale above Dartmeet
from this spot, and shall not fail to admire its beauties.
Various kinds of trees fringe the opposite bank of the stream,
and with the enclosures of Brimpts form a striking contrast to
the rugged steep on this side of the river, where are numerous
rude stone remains, scattered among the natural rocks which
are thickly strewn around. The hill is crowned with the granite
peak of Yar Tor, which towers high above the narrow vale.

We are now on the path which, after tracing across the
forest from Walkhampton Common, we left at Dartmeet

* Numbers of stones are found In this state on the moor. A super-
stition connected with them is noticed in an extremely interesting little
work, entitled, Dartmoor and its Borders, by "Tickler" (Elias Tozer) : —
" Our kind guide pointed out a stone, ' rent in twain,' which he said
occurred, in all probability, when Jesus was crucified," p. 74.

fTwo of those whose names are represented by initials on the stone
I knew well. One of them left the moor for the Metropolis, and there
some time after I met him. I noticed that the colour was disappearing
from his cheek, and in a brief space he returned to Dartmoor to die.

Of Dartmoor and its Borderland. 171

Bridge,* and are thus able to mark its continuance to
Widecombe.

Returning to the summit of Dartmeet Hill and retracing
our steps over the road, we soon reach a point known as
Ouldsbroom Cross, where a road branches to Ashburton.
The old stone that formerly marked it, and which has given
to the place its name, though no longer on its ancient site, is
fortunately not lost. Mr. Dymond first brought it to my
notice, and informed me where I should find it. It serves as
a gate-post at the entrance to the yard of Town Farm, which
is situated just below the church at Leusdon, on the confines
of the common, and very nearly two miles from the spot from
which it was taken.

I learnt from Mr. Dymond that an old man named
William French, who had spent all his life in the vicinity,
said that this cross when standing on its original site, was
fixed upon as the limit to which the French officers, detained
as prisoners of war at Princetown prior to 1815, were per-
mitted to extend their walk on parole of honour.

It would seem from this that the prisoners located at
Princetown who were allowed outside the prison walls on
parole, were not restricted in their walks to such narrow
limits as were those quartered in the various towns in the
district, for in the latter case they were not at liberty to go
beyond one mile from the town, while this old cross is more
than seven miles distant by road from Princetown.

William French gave Mr. Dymond some particulars
relative to the removal of Ouldsbroom Cross, and said that
it was brought away from its site more than sixty years
before, which would be about 1825, by Thomas Hext, at
that time the occupier of Town Farm, French then living
with him as a parish apprentice. It was conveyed to the
farm on a slide drawn by four oxen. The arms were knocked
off after its arrival there, on its being found that they
interfered with the purpose to which the cross was put.

Passing Ouldsbroom Farm on the Ashburton road, we
make our way by Leusdon Church to Town Farm, that we may
examine this old cross. We shall notice with regret that the
work of Farmer Hext was only too complete. One of the

*p. 101, ante.

172 The Ancient Stone Crosses

arms has been knocked completely off, while the other only
projects about two inches from the shaft, the greater part of
it having been broken or chipped off. Holes have also been
drilled in it for the reception of hinges. It stands about five
feet nine inches above the ground, and is about sixteen inches
in breadth immediately below the arms ; at the base it is wider.

From Town Farm we make our way to the hamlet of
Pound's Gate, and descend to Newbridge, on the Dart.
Away on the hill is Holne vicarage, the house in which
Charles Kingsley passed his babyhood. Had he remained
longer there it is possible that the scenery of the old moor
might have exercised a similar influence upon him to that
which did the northern coast of the county. From New-
bridge we climb the hill, and once more reach the village
of Holne, passing through which to Play Cross, we shall
turn into the lane that leads to Scoriton. Another long climb
and we reach a little common known as Cross Furzes, imme-
diately at the higher end of the valley of Dean Burn, a narrow
gorge having steep sides clothed with oak coppices, and
through which runs a tributary of the Dart. By the roadside
is an old stone about two and a half feet high, and having a
letter cut in relief on three of its faces. These are the
initials of the names of places to which it points the way,
namely, Tavistock, Ashburton and Brent.

A gate in another part ot the little common opens on to
Wallaford Down, a breezy tract, whence most extensive views
are obtainable, its western slope forming one side of the Dean
Burn valley. Across this we might make our way to Dean
Church, distant some three miles or more from Cross Furzes,
and which from its association with the poet Herrick, who
was vicar of the parish for some years before the Common-
wealth, and again after the Restoration, will always possess a
peculiar interest. Mr. Worthy, in his notice of Dean in the
work before referred to, mentions an old head-stone in the
churchyard there, having what he supposed were " the
massive fragments of the ancient cross " placed round it. The
pieces of stone in question have something of the appearance
of a broken shaft, but on examination will be found to be
portions of an old granite mullion.

Descending the side of Cross Furzes, close to which
passed the Abbots' Way as it entered the moor, we

Of Dartmoor and its Borderland. 173

cross the stream by a single stone clapper, eleven-and-
a-half feet in length, and about three feet wide. This
has the date 1705 cut upon it in one place, and in
another the letters B D A, with the date 1737. Beyond this
we pass the ruins of Lambsdown Farmhouse, and after
crossing another little stream shall make our way over the
common in the direction of Brent Hill, now in full view, and
to which we are very near. Soon we shall enter upon a lane,
and on arriving at a point where it is crossed by another shall
find a directing-stone, standing in a little open space. The
letters it bears are not cut in relief like those on the stone
at Cross Furzes, but are incised. There are four, and they
show the traveller the roads leading to Plympton or Ply-
mouth, Totnes, Ashburton and Tavistock.* Here we strike

* The track to Tavistock, the direction of which is indicated on this
stone and on the one we have just noticed, was the Abbots' Way, that
ancient road, it is thus evident, still being used after the monks were
driven from the abbeys with which it communicated. From Broad Rock
(p. 72) the branch followed by travellers was in all probability that which
led by Plym Steps to Marchants Cross (p. 73), where they would enter
upon the road running 'through Dousland, near which place formerly
stood the ancient Yanedone Cross, as mentioned in a previous chapter
(p. 68). Having learnt from Mr. Aaron Rowe, of Princetown, that some
worked stones were to be seen on Durham Farm, which is not far from
Dousland, I have recently visited it in his company, and made an exam-
ination of them. One appears to be part of the shaft of a cross, and as
it is not far from the holed stone already described (p. 68) there is certainly
reason for supposing that one belonged to the other, and that the latter is
a true socket-stone . This possible fragment of Yanedone Cross will be
found on the right of the lane leading from Dousland to Walkhampton,
acting as a post in the gateway of a field belonging to the above-named
farm. It is two-and-a-half feet in height and three feet in girth. The
corners are cut away, and have a shallow groove sunk in the bevel ; the
stone is very much worn. Another of the stones forms part of the coping
on the wall of the garden in front of the farmhouse, but the most curious
are found at the gate in the way leading from there to Walkhampton.
One of these, which has not all its sides worked, is three feet high and
serves as a post ; the other is laid on the top of the hedge and is rather
elaborately worked. It measures twenty-two inches by sixteen inches,
and is not unlike part of a pedestal. Whether these stones ever helped
to form a stepped base of a cross it is impossible to say ; they may have
formed part of some building near by, or have been brought from the
church. The gate-posts of the gardens of some cottages close to the
entrance to Town Farm in Walkhampton village, it is plainly to be seen
were fashioned for another purpose than that which they now serve.

174 The Ancient Stone Crosses

the ancient track from Ashburton and Buckfast to Plympton,
which we have already seen crossing Ugborough moor at
Spurrell's Cross, and at other points.* From the latter place
eastward to the spot at which we have now arrived, its course
was principally over the moor, and though only discernible
here and there, I have been able to trace it sufficiently to
determine the line it took between the two points. It is
interesting as showing the way which the traveller in the old
days followed when passing along the southern edge of Dartmoor.

Eastward of Spurrell's Cross the track is plainly to be
seen at a ford over the West Glaze, and again near the
enclosures of Merrifield Farm, on the edge of Brent Moor.
Here, in the formation of a newtake, care was taken not to
obstruct the path. The former is detached from the rest of
the enclosures, a narrow strip of common being left between,
over which the old road runs. A similar arrangement may be
seen on Cudlipp Town Down, and in other places, both on
the fringe of the waste and in the forest. Not far from this
the track leaves the moor, and descends towards the Avon,
this part of it being known as Diamond Lane. It is steep,
and exceedingly rough, and suitable only as a bridle path ;
but a tradition existing in the locality speaks of a coach and
four horses having once been driven through it. This seems
to preserve the recollection of former traffic over it.t The
track probably crossed the Avon at a ford somewhere near the
present Shipley Bridge, and running over the down by
Yolland Farm, where there is still a path, reached the
point at which we have now struck it.

But we again leave the old path, and turning into the lane
on our right shall cross Gigley Bridge. Skirting Brent Hill,
and passing through Lutton we shall descend to the village
whence we set out, having thus made the circuit of the moor.

Our examination of these time-worn relics has now
terminated, and we shall bid adieu to the wild country in
which they stand.

*pp. 26, 34, ante.

f There is a granite trough in Diamond Lane, overgrown with moss,
which the country people suppose to have been made for passing ponies
to drink from. But, as there are no means of supplying it with water, this
does not seem likely. It was no doubt hollowed out on the spot with the
intention of removing it to some farm, and was afterwards abandoned.

Of Dartmoor and its Borderland. 175

For the most part the Dartmoor Crosses, as will have
been seen, were erected as marks to the paths which were
trodden by travellers in the olden days, and as we pursue
these paths now, we are carried back in imagination to the
time when over them passed the lordly abbot, the knight with
his body-guard of servitors, the merchant journeying with his
commodities, or bands of pilgrims bound to the shrine of their
patron saint. The grey cross on the heath would serve not
only to point out their road, but also to keep them in
remembrance of One who gave His life that mankind might
not perish. Wynken de Worde in 1496 printed a treatise on
the ten commandments, in which occurs the following : —

" For this reason ben Crosses by ye waye, that whan folke
passynge see the Crosses, they sholde thynke on Him that
deyed on the Cross, and worshyppe Hym above all
thynge."

Here was the emblem of his religion standing before the
traveller, and bidding him, by the memories it would call
forth, cling to it and shun evil. In ancient Egypt figures of
Pascht, the avenger of crime, were set up at the junction of
roads to remind the people that guilt would be punished ; and
while these old crosses would tell the same tale, they would
also speak of the reward in store for those who "trust in the
Lord, and do good " (Psalm xxxvii., 3).

There are many old paths on the moor besides the ones we
have here noticed, but with the exception of Cut Lane and
the Lich Path, none so interesting as those which led
to the four great religious houses on the borders of the
southern part of the moor. The paths in its northern division
are of a different character ; no abbeys were on its verge, and
those who passed over its green tracks were chiefly moormen
and the settlers in the forest.

The crosses of the moor are, generally speaking, rudely
fashioned, and are, without exception, Latin crosses. It is
true that a few of them, such as the one near Cadaford Bridge,
and Spurrell's Cross, now present the Greek form, but this,
is owing simply to the shaft having been broken off and
lost. Most of them face east and west, but there are
exceptions to this. Siward's Cross is the only one mentioned
in any perambulation of the forest, and none but that and
Hobajon's Cross are marked on the old map.

176 The Ancient Stone Crosses of Dartmoor.

The indifference with which our antiquities have been
regarded in times past is now happily disappearing, and it is
at length recognised that the grey stones of the heath have an
interesting story to tell, and one which cannot be lightly
passed over by the student of history. There is a charm,
too, in antiquarian study, which cannot fail to interest and
delight ; as a writer in the Builder has well said, " Those who
have once caught the true flavour of antiquity, and learned
what it is to extract its essence of humanity from the heart of
an old stone, can very well afford to laugh in turn at those who
take it for an axiom that the dying present is infinitely of
more value than ' the dead past.' "

The old crosses of the moor are pleasing objects even to
the casual passer-by who takes but slight heed of them, but to
the antiquary and the student of history, the memories they
serve to awaken add to their attractiveness, and endow these
weather-stained and rough-hewn stones with a deeper interest
and a greater charm.

ADDENDA.

A fine Latin Cross has recently been erected at Cornwood
(p. 34). It stands on a stepped base, and forms quite an
interesting feature of the village. It bears the date 1902, and
the following inscription : "In grateful memory of Frederic
Rogers, Lord Blachford, K.C.M.G., and of Georgiana his
wife. He served his country faithfully for 25 years in the
Colonial Office. Their latter days were spent at Blachford,
serving God and doing good to their neighbours." The cross
was dedicated by the Bishop of Exeter.

In noticing (p. 35) Cornwood it was stated that Delamore
was once the residence of Winthrop Mackworth Praed, the
poet. We should have said that it was the seat of William
Mackworth Praed, the poet's brother. After the death of
his widow Delamore came to his daughter, who had previously
married Admiral Parker.

It is satisfactory to note that Widecombe has again its
Churchyard Cross. The part built into the wall (p. 166) now
surmounts the shaft near the south porch. It stands about
six feet high. This good work was done some time since.

Quite recently death has removed the Rev. C. H. Crook,
for several years vicar of Sheepstor, and to whom we have
had occasion to refer (p. 65).

It is also necessary to mention that Highlands (p.* 31)
is no longer occupied by Mr. William Coryton, of Pentillie.

I have seen it stated that a modern cross on Cosdon marks
the Venville bounds. This is not correct. There is an up-
right stone there marking the boundary of some mineral
rights, but the rights of the Venville tenants extend a con-
siderable distance beyond it. I also find that another writer
states that Petre's Cross can be seen from near Hun-
tingdon Cross. This, however, is not so. A stone post on

178 Addenda.

the brow of the hill is seen, but not the broken shaft of
the old cross (p. 17).

Having been asked about Bulstone, or Bulhornstone, Cross,
near South Brent, it may be well to explain that it is merely
a name given to the point where the road from Aish to Bul-
hornstone Farm and Owley crosses a lane leading up towards
Aish Ridge. I could never learn of any stone cross standing
there. What has been thought to be the base of one, was
really made for a millstone. It was intended for the mill at
Owley, but owing to a flaw was never taken there, but was
placed in the centre of the cross roads. I gathered these par-
ticulars many years ago from an old man who remembered
when the stone was cut.

On p. 46, read 'Bidlin ; p. 96, set up for upset ; p. 103,
Stascombe; p. 114, Forstall.

INDEX.

ABBOTS' WAY, The, 18, 19, 21.

26, 66, 67, 70, 71, 72, 73, 79;

84, 88, 103, 105, 150, 172, 173
Addiscott, Cross at, 130
Aish Ridge, 12
Amicia, Countess of Devon, 57

— , Deed of, 57, 60, 75, 77
Ancient Customs, 3

Tracks. Sec Tracks.

Antiquarian Study, Charm in, 176

Ashburton, 106 ; Base of Cross at,

106 ; Neighbourhood of, 107

BAGGA'S BUSH, 22 ; Guide

Stone near, 22
Balbeny and Pushyll, Track from,

149

Barn Hill, 79
Beatland Corner, 46 ; Base of

Cross at, 46
Beckamoor Combe, 79

Cross, 79

Beechwood, 40

Beetor Cross, 144, 145 ; Traditions

connected with, 145
Belstone Rectory, Inscribed Stone

near, 124 ; Village, 124
Bennet's Cross, 145, 146
Bickham, 60
Bickleigh, 46 ; Cross at, 59 ;

Church. 59 ; Road blocked,

60 ; Vale, 58
Bidder. George, 143
Bishop's Stone, The, 157
Blachford, 34

Blackabrook, Clapper over, 149
Blackaton Cross, 38 ; Tradition

connected with, 38 ; View

from, 39

Slaggets, 38

Black Down. 114, 115, 116
Blacksmith's Pool, 134
Blackwood Path, The, 72
Blizzard, Death in the, 42
Bloody Pool, 10

Boclond, 75, 76 ; Derivation of
the name, 77

Border Crosses, 8 ; Scenery, 4 ;
Towns, 2

Boringdon, 45 ; Camp, 45

Boundaries, 13, 15, 16, 20, 22, 75,
146

Bovey Heathlield. Cross formerly
on, 160

Tracey, Crosses at, 157,

et seq. ; Church Cross, 159 ;
Removal of, 159 ; Inscribed
Stones in Churchyard, 160 ;
Market Cross, 158 ; Mayor's
Monday, 158

Bra Tor, Cross on, 117

Bray, Mrs., 108, 109

, Rev. E. A., 109, 115, 122

Brent Bridge, 22 ; Fair, 10 ;
Hill, 9

Moor, Boundary of, 20 ;

Crosses marking boundary
of, 15 ; Inquisition on bound-
ary of, 15 ; Stones marking
boundary of, 22

South. See South Brent.

Tor, Cross formerly at,

115: Traditions concerning,

114- "5
Bridges' History of Okehampton,

119, 122

Broad Rock, 72, 73, 173
Brock Hill Mire. 71, 103
Brooke, Sir James. 65, 66
Browney Cross, 45, 46, 57 ; View

from. 46

Buckfast Abbey, 77, 105, 106
, Track to Plympton from,

26, 174
Buckfastleigh Church, 106

Churchyard, Cross

in, 106

Buckland Abbey. 57, 61
in-the-Moor, Cnurch of.

163 ; Crosses at, 163, 164 ;

Neighbourhood of, 164

i8o

Index.

Buckland Ford, 18, 71 ; View
from, 19

Monachorum Cross, 61,

62 ; Restoration of, 61, 62

Monachorum, Inscribed

Stones formerly at, 62, no;
Pillar in Churchyard, 62 ;
School at, 62 ; Track to Buck-
fast from, 68, 84 ; Village, 61

Bude Lane, 124

Bulhoi nstone Cross, 178

Burham Farm, Shaft of Cross
on, 173

Burrator, 64. 65 ; Reservoir, 65,
85 ; Wood, 51

Bush Meads, 19

Butterdon Hill Stone Row,i3, 15,!28

CADAFORD BRIDGE, 39, 49,
57 ; Cross near, 49 ; Sur-
roundings of, 50

Calisham Down, 54

Cann, George, 130

Carrington, 89, 92

Carwithen, Rev. Charles, 155

Castle Ring, 45

Chagford, Neighbourhood of, 136,

137

Church, 137 ; Crosses

found in, 137
Chapel Lands, 123
Charter of King John, 3, 78
Childe the Hunter. Death of, 95 ;

Legend of, 88, 89, 90
Childe's Tomb, 88 ; Cross formerly

on, 94 ; Description of, 91 ;

Destruction of, 89 ; Discovery

of, 91 ; Inscription on, 89, 93 ;

Remains near, 91, 92, 93
Cholera, Deaths from, 43
Cholwich Town, 36 ; Cross at, 36
Coaker, Jonas, 148

, of Sherburton, 98

Coffin Stone, The, 169, 170
Colebrook, 45 ; Chapel at, 45
Coppard, Rev. W. I., 43, 59
Copriscrosse, 57, 60
Commons of Devon, The, 3
Cornwood, 34, 35 ; Church, 35 ;

Cross roads at, 34 ; Cross at, 177
Coryndon Ball Gate, 12
Cosdon, 125, 126, 177
Cranbrook Castle, Inscribed

Stone near, 137
Crapstone Farm, Shaft of Cross

on, 62, 63
Crazy Well Pool, 85, 86 ; Cross

near, 87

Cross, The, 4, 5 ; A bond-mark,
6 ; A burial monument, 6 ;
Earlier than the Church, 5 ;
Purposes of, 175 ; The centre
of village life, 5

Furzes, 103 ; Guide Stone

at, 172 ; Clapper near, 173
- Park, 141, 156

Roads, 6

Crosses, Destruction of, 5 ; Pro-
bable date of, 83 ; Style of
those on Dartmoor, 6, 175

Crossing, Mrs. Joseph, 45

Crucem de Wolewille, 57, 58

Siwardi, 57

Cudlipp Town Down, Path on,

174

Cuming, Chas., 141, 164
Cumston Tor, 103
Cut Lane, 149

DARK LAKE. 72

Dartmeet, 101 ; Hill, 169 ; View
from, 170

Dartmoor, Antiquities of, 4;
Aspect of, 2, 3 ; Crosses, 6r
7 ; Elevation of, 2 ; Extent
of, I ; Old map of, 13, 74, 76 ;
Situation of, 2

Inn, 117

Preservation Asso-
ciation, 96, 97

Dean Burn, Valley of, 71

Church, 172

Debben and the Grey Wethers,

147

Delamore, 35, 177
Derges. William, 155
Diamond Lane, 174
Dockwell Gate, 103
Dousland, 68, 173 ; Socket-stone

at, 67, 68
Down Ridge, 103 ; Crosses on,

100, 101

Drake, Sir Francis, 61
Drewsteignton, 136
Drift Lane, 149
Dry Lake, 72

Lakes, 101

Dunsland Cross, 121
Dunstone. Granite block at, 164
Durdon Cross, T2I

EASTERN BEACON. The, 10 ;

Track near, 72
Eden. Richard, 93
Elfordleigh. 45
Elfords, The, 65, 66

Index.

181

Elsford, Cross at, 140
Emmett's Post, 39
Erme, The, 30, 72

Pound, 72

Evans, Rachel, 109, in

FARDLE, 34

Stone, The, 32, 33

Feather Tor, 79

Fice's Well. See Fitz's Well.

Fingle Gorge, 137 ; Track to,

141

Firestone Ley, 131
Fitz, John, 121, 122
Fitzford, Conduit at, 122
Fitz's Well, near Okehampton,

121 ; Cross at, 121, 122, 123 ;
Tradition concerning, 12 1,

122 ; View from, 123
, near Princetown, 121.

122, 149, 150

Forstall Cross, 114

Fox and Hounds Inn, 117

Fox Tor, 88

Mire, 88, 95

Newtake, 96 ; Cross in,

96 ; Head of Cross in, 94, 96,

97

French, William, 171

GAVESTON on Dartmoor, 86

Gidleigh, 133

Gigley Bridge. Guide Stone

near, 173
Glaze, The, 22
Gloves at Fairs, 10, 115
Goodameavy, 56
Goodamoor, 40
Gratton Farm, Inscribed Stone

at, 54

Green Hill, 71
Greenwell Down, 54
Greenwell Girt, 55 ; Base of Cross

near, 55

Grey Wethers. 147
Guide Stones, 22, 115, 116, 119,

144, 146, 150, 151, 172, 173
Gudula, St., 107
Gulval, St., 107
Gulwell, Cross at. 107

HALSTOCK FARM, 123
Hameldon, 167, 168 ; Cross on,

168, 169 ; View from, 168
Hanger Down, 34
Hapstead Ford, 103
Harford Bridge, Erme, 30

Harford Bridge, Tavy. in

Church, 28

and Ugborough Moors,

Boundary between, 13

Harvey, Wm. Phillips, 142

Hawns and Dendles, 35

Hawson Gate, Cross near, 105

Heath Stone, 146

Headless Cross, 141

Hele Cross, 154 ; Tradition con-
nected with, 154

Moors, 144

Hembury Castle, 105

Hemerdon, 40

Herring, Rev. Edmond, 69

Hexworthy, 99, too, 102

High Down, 117

Higher Atway, Cross at, 158

Coombe, Cross at, 156

Highlands, 31, 177

Hisworthy Tor, North, 79

Hobajon's Cross, 12, 14, 15, 74

Holne Churchyard. Cross in, 104 ;
Curious epitaph in, 104

Moor, 103

Holy Street, Cross at, 134, 135

Hookmoor Cross, 23. 24

Horn's Cross, 102, 103 ; Track
near, 103

Horrabridge, Incised cross at, 63

Horse Ford, 101, 102

Horse Pit Cross, 152

Howard, Nathaniel, 58

Huccaby, 101

Huckworthy bridge, 69 ; Cross on
Common near, 69

Huntingdon Corner, Lower, 20

Cross, 20, 71 ; Sur-
roundings of, 21

Warren, 19 ; Bridge

at, 19, 146

ILSINGTON, 161

Inga Tor, 69

Inscribed Stones, 15, 32,54,62,63,

68, 109, 119, 124, 125, 137,

157, 160
Ivybridge, 29, et scq. ; Bridge at,

29, 30 ; Church, 31 ; Road to

Tavistock from, 31

JELLINGER, Christopher, 11

Jobber, 66

Jobbers' Cross, 79

Jobbers' Path, 66

Jockey Down's House, 118

' ohns, Rev. John, 86

'ones, Rev. J. P., 94, 153

182

Index.

KEMPE, A. J., 109
Kempthorn, Sir John, 25
King, R. J., 106
King Way, The, 116
Kingsley, Charles, 104, 172

LADWELL ORCHARD, 106

Lady Littler, 106

Lake, 117

Lambsdown Farm, 71, 173

La.x, Mrs. Bridget, 104

Lawe, Rev. G. L. G., 133

Lee Moor tramroad, 45

Leeper. Cross a.t, 151

Leigh Steps, 134

Lether Tor, 51, 85 ; Bridge, 85

Lich Path, 114, 149

Long Ash Hill, 150 ; Guide Posts

near, 150 ; Menhir on, 80
Longtimber Tor, 113
Lower Whitey borough, 58
Lowery, 84
Lukesland, 28
Lustleigh, 157 ; Inscribed Stone

at, 157

Cleave, 155

Luxmore, Miss, 121

Lydford, 115 ; Circular Stone at,

116 ; Churchyard, 1 16 ; Gorge,

115 ; Guide Stone at, 115
Lydia Bridge, 12
Lynch Down, 50 ; View from, 64
Lynscott, Cross at, 140, 141, 164

MAGGIE CROSS, 148
Mainstone Wood, 58 ; Cross, 58
Mallock. Rawlin, 162
Manaton, 154 ; Cross formerly at,

154 ; Disappearance of, 155,

Socket-stone at, 155.
Mann, William, 103
Mapiof Dartmoor. Ancient, 13,74,76
Marchants Bridge, 52
Cross, 50, 51, 63, 66,

67, 73- 173 ; View from, 51
Mardle, The, 103
Maristowe, 60
Mary Tavy Churchyard, 114;

Cross in. 113, 114
Maximajor Stone, 141
Maynstoncrossa, 57
Meavy, 52, et seq. : Churchyard, 54 ;

Cross at, 52, 53 ; Restoration

of, 53

Oak, 52

Meldon, 119

Meripit Hill, Cross formerly on,

148

Merivale Bridge, 79, 80

Merrifield Farm, Track at, 174

Mew, The, 87

Middlecott, 139

Milton, Stones at. 62

Monkeys' Castle. 81

Moon's Cross, 128

Moor Gate, 151

Moortown, 80

Moretonhampstead, 141 ; Cross

at, 141, 142, 143 ; Cross Tree

at, 141, 142
Murchington, Cross formerly at,

134

NEWCOMBE, JOHN. 74
Newhouse. See Warren House

Inn

Newhouse, near Rippon Tor, 163
Newleycombe Lake, 87
Newnham, 45
Niel Gate, 46
North Bovey, 152 ; Cross, 153

Lew Cross, 120

Nun's Cross, 73 ; Derivation of

name, 78

OCKMENT, EAST, 124

Ogham Alphabet, 33

Characters. Inscriptions

in, no, in

Okehampton Castle. 119, 123
, Cross formerly at,

119 ; Park, 121 ; Stone in

Church Wall, 119, 120
Old Newnham, 40
Older Bridge, 88
Orchard, John, 126
Quids broom Cross, 171
Owen's Book on the Roads, 146

et seq.

Owley Gate, 25
Oxen employed, 98
Oxenham, 129 ; Cross, 129 ;

Tradition of White Bird. 129

PAYNE'S BRIDGE, 132
Peat Track to Hook Lake. 26

Works, 17

Peter Tavy, Remains of Cross at,

in, 112 ; Churchyard, 112
Perambulations of Forest, 3
Petre's Cross, 17 ; Mutilation of,

17- 177

Petre, Sir William, 18
Phillips, of Lee Moor, 37
Potsans Bridge, 32

Index.

183

Play Cross, 105

Plytn, Ford near source of the, 73

Steps, 72, 173

Plymouth Municipal Records, 151

Plympton, 41, ct s*q.; Castle, 41,
42 ; Church of St. Mary. 43 ;
Church of St. Maurice, 41 ;
Cross at. 40, 41 ; Grammar
School, 42 ; Guildhall. 42 ;
House, 42 ; Priory, 43 ; Track
to Samplord Spiney from, 43,
44 ; Track to Tavistock from,
82.

Prewley Moor, 118

Prideaux. John, 25. 28

Pu Tor, 69, 79

Puckie Stone, 134

Purl's Cross. SCT Spurrell's Cross

QUEEN VICTORIA'S CROSS,
102

RED LAKE FOKD, 71
Rinjjhole Copse, Cross at, 130
Ringleshutt's Mine, 103
Rippon Tor, Cross on, 161, 162
Roborough Down. 60, 62, 63
Roborough, Holed Stone near, 59,

60

Rock Hotel, The, 63
Rogers' School, Dame Hannah. 32
Roman Camp, The, 38
Roman's Cross, 37
Rowe. Rev. Samuel, 42
Rundle Stone, The, 150

ST. JOHN'S HERMITAGE,
Cross formerly at, 109

St. Leonard's Well, 65

St. Mary's Chapel, 126

Saddle Bridge, 101

Sampford Spiney, 70 ; Cross at, 70

Sand Parks, 88

Sandowl Cross, 23, 25

Sanduck, Cross at, 160

Sandy Way. 95, 103

Shaden Brake. Cross at, 48

Shady Combe, 55

Sharp Tor, Inscribed Stone near,
I5i 16

Shaugh Bridge, 48 ; Church, 47 ;
Cross, 47

SheepsTor,66 ; Sheepstor, 85, 177;
Base of Cross at, 64 ; Church,
65, 66 ; Church House, 66 ;
Cross, 64, 65 ; Stone post at,
66 ; Track to, 64 ; Village, 64

Shipley Peat Works, 17

Shorter Cross, 139

Siward. 77

Siward's Cross, 73. 77, 78, 88, 105 ;
Derivation of name, 77 ;
Dimensions of, 73, 74; In-
scription on, 74, 75, 76, 77

Skir Ford, 100 ; Gert 99

Skits Bridge, Stone near, 1 16

Smalacumbacros.se, 57, 63

Smalacumbalak, 63

Smith, Rev. Merton, Memorial
Cross to, 43

Samuel, 100

Snowdon Hole, 103

Sourton 1 18 ; Base of Cross at,
118

Down, Cross on, 118 ; In-
scription on. 118. 119

South Brent Church, II ; Cross, II

Harton Farm, Cross at,

153, 156
-Tawton, 128 ; Quarries, 129

Zeal, 126 ; Cross at, 127 ;

Tradition relating to, 127, 128
Southerleigh, 117
Southmead House, Base of, Cross

at, 135

Mr, 135

Spurrell's Cross, 26. 27, 40, 72,

174 ; Stone row near, 27 ;

View from, 27
Stanbury, John, 127
Stannaburrows, 100
Stascombe Telling-place, 103
Stephens, Dr. W. J., 140, 164
Stevens' Grave, 113
Sticklepath, 125 ; Inscribed Stone

at, 125

Stittleford's Cross, 162
Stone Ad/.e, 25

Cross, 136, 137

Park, 107

Rows, 13, 15, 27

Stones, Inscribed. See Inscribed

Stones

Cloven, 170

Stony Bottom, 72

Stowford Cleave, 30

Streams, Principal, 2

Stumpy Cross, 137

Swincombe, The, 78 ; Stone pillar

near Upper Valley of, 73. 78

TAVISTOCK, 83, 108; Abbey,
in ; Cross iormerly at. 108 ;
Inscribed Stones at. 109, no ;
Track from Moreton tu. 149 :
Worthies, 83.

1 84

Index.

Ter Hill, Crosses on, 97, 98 ;
Orthography of name, 99 ;
Track over, 98 ; View from,

99-

Tin Bounds. 146

Three Barrows, 12 ; Reave at, 16 ;
View from, 16

Throwleigh, Base of cross at. 133 ;
Church, 133 ; Cross at, 132,
133 ; Fragments of cross at,

133

Tolch Moor Gate, 37

Tongue End, 124 ; Inscribed
Stone near, 124, 125

Torry, The. 44 ; Bridges over, 44 ;
Cross in, 44

Town Farm, 171 ; Cross at, 172

Townsend Cross, 126

Tracks, Ancient, 26, 36, 40, 43. 55,
64, 68, 72, 82, 84, 95, 103, 114,
116, 140, 141, 149, 174. See
Abbots' Way

Treasure-seekers, Crosses over-
thrown by, 87

Two Bridges. 149

UGBOROUGH CHURCH. 24, 25
and Harford

Moors, Boundary between, 13
Urgles, 55, 57 ; Base of cross

at, 55

VIXEN TOR, 79

WALKHAMPTON CHURCH,
69 ; Inscribed Stone at, 68

House,

69 ; Socket-stone near, 69

Common, Bound-
ary of, 75 ; Cross on, 87 ;
Track to Holne over, 84

Warren House Inn, The, 147 ;
Stories connected .with, 147

Warrens on the Moor, 146

Warren's Cross, 70

Watching Place, 144

Water Oke Corner, 103

Water Troughs. 106, 135

Way Barton, Cross at, 135, 136

Wayside Cross, The, 6

Week Down. 139 ; Cross on, 138.

139

Ford, 101

VVennaford Brook, 104

West Week. 131, 132

Western Whitaburrow, 17, 18,
71 ; House on Cairn at, 17

Whipham, Rev. Arthur. 135

Whitaburrow. Sec Western
Whitaburrow

Whitchurch Down, 73, 80, 81,
150 ; Crosses on, 81, 82

White Thorn Inn, The, 48

Works, 88

Widecombe-in-the-Moor, 164 et
seq. ; Base of Cross at, 165,
166 ; Cross in churchyard,
166, 177 ; Cross in vicarage gar-
den. 164, 165 ; Small crosses
found in church, 167

Thunder Storm, 167

Widgery, W., 117

Wigford Down, 49, 55, 56 ; Track

over, 50, 55, 56, 57
Williams, Speaker, 28
Windeatt, of Fox Tor, 89
Windypost, The, 79, 80
Wobrook. The, 99, TOO, 101, 102
Wood, Mrs., 133
Woodlands, 32
Woodley, W. H., 74
Woolwell, 58
Workman's Ford, 103, 104
Writelan Stone, The, 157

YANEDONECROSSE, 57
Yennadon, 51, 67

Cross, 173

Yolland Farm, 174
Major, 139

ZEAL HEAD CROSS, 126, 128

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